Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announces Orange Economy push with AVCG labs in 15,000 schools and 500 colleges.

Key facts

• Union Budget 2026–27 proposes support for Indian Institute of Creative Technologies Mumbai to set up AVCG content creator labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges across India.
• India’s AVCG sector is projected to require 2 million professionals by 2030.
• Economic Survey 2025–26 terms creative industries as the Orange Economy, deriving value from ideas and cultural capital rather than physical goods.
• UNCTAD estimates show creative industries contribute between 0.5% and over 7% of GDP across countries.
• In 2019, live music in the United States generated over USD 130 billion in economic output and supported more than 900,000 jobs.
• UK music tourism contributed £6.6 billion, around 0.3% of GDP, in 2022.
• Concerts act as short-duration tourism multipliers, intensifying spending on accommodation, food, transport and city services.
• India’s concert economy remains nascent but is expanding due to a young population, rising discretionary spending, digital ticketing platforms and improving urban infrastructure.
• Event organisers in India currently require between 10 and 15 separate clearances for live entertainment events.
• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is working towards a single-window mechanism for live entertainment permissions, including approvals from state governments.