Govt. policies ensuring open, safe, trusted, accountable and fair cyberspace

RSD-Bharat news: Government is cognizant of the potential of the creative economy in providing economic opportunities for Indian youth. Steps taken by the Government to promote creative economy are as follows:

1. The World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 was organized in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of making India a global hub of content creation. The primary objective of WAVES was to give a fillip to India’s orange economy by integrating content, creativity and culture into a structured engine of economic growth and global influence. WAVES aimed to bridge gaps in financing, skilling and global outreach, while establishing a sustainable, scalable ecosystem aligned with the vision of “Create in India, Create for the World.”WAVES provided a platform for Indian creators to connect with new technologies, investors, producers and buyers. It saw participation of more than 1 Lakh people from over 100 countries. The event featured more than 140 sessions including 50 plenaries, 35 masterclasses and 55 breakout sessions with participation from global industry leaders.

Outcomes of WAVES 2025:

1. WaveX: Platform for startup-led innovation in the M&E sector. It included a two-day live pitching event where startups presented ideas to investors. It enabled 30 startups to pitch to industry leaders and facilitated exhibition for over 100 startups at the Startup Pavilion. Government has established the first WaveX incubation centre at the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) Mumbai, with additional centres being operationalised across the country.
2. WAVES Bazaar: Functioning as a marketplace for scripts, music, comics and AV rights, creating new revenue streams for the creators. It is being continued as a year-round platform to support market access and business engagement. Through participation in more than 10 international markets across four continents, WAVES Bazaar facilitated B2B meetings, signed multiple MoUs resulting in potential business and investment leads, supporting co-productions, licensing, investment partnerships and global market access for Indian creators and companies.
3. Create in India Challenge (CIC): A nationwide next-generation creative talent hunt across 33 creative categories like animation, gaming, AR/VR and music. It attracted over 1 lakh registrations from creators from around the world. The CIC winners are being supported for participation at major international cultural platforms including Melbourne, Osaka, Toronto, Tokyo and Madrid and at National events such as IndiaJoy, IGDC and IFFI Goa, positioning CIC as a key engine for creator discovery and IP creation.

2. Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT): To institutionalise skilling and innovation, the Government has established the IICT, Mumbai as a National Centre of Excellence for AVGC-XR. IICT provides industry-aligned training, startup incubation, access to advanced infrastructure and collaboration with global technology leaders, thereby supporting creators and developers across emerging digital domains.

3. Initiatives by Prasar Bharti:

Strategic Integration of Creators and Digital Talent: Prasar Bharati is actively integrating digital creators into public service broadcasting to foster a more inclusive digital economy. The “Creator’s Corner,” which airs on DD News (Monday–Friday at 7:00 PM) and DD National, provides national exposure to micro-influencers and emerging voices. This approach aims to provide an alternative to traditional social media by offering algorithmic transparency and ensuring that creators retain their Intellectual Property (IP) rights. The policies of Government of India are aimed at ensuring open, safe, trusted, accountable and fair cyberspace for the users. Accordingly, the Government has notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules), under the Information Technology Act, 2000 as amended from time to time, to address emerging harms to users, encourage innovation and provide support to new and smaller players in the technology ecosystem of the country. These Rules set obligations for social media intermediaries (platforms) to have transparent policies, content moderation, and grievance redressal.

• Platforms must provide users (including influencers) with notice and grievance mechanisms when content is removed or accounts are suspended.
• These rules indirectly protect creators by requiring fairer platform conduct and accountability

In the event of non-compliance with the IT Rules, the provisions of Rule 7 become applicable, and the intermediary may lose the exemption from liability under section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Monetization and Distribution via WAVES OTT: The government has established structured financial frameworks to support independent creators through the WAVES OTT platform. Budget 2026-27 mentions supporting the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, Mumbai in setting up AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges. This information was submitted by Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw in Rajya Sabha on 06.02.2026.