Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. File | Photo credit: ANI
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday (March 23, 2026) unveiled three new initiatives aimed at strengthening India’s media, television and digital sectors and promoting the ‘orange economy’, or creative economy.
The creative economy includes sectors where economic value is created primarily from creativity, culture, technology and intellectual property.
The three initiatives are called the National AI Skilling Initiative in partnership with Google and YouTube through the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT); MyWAVES, a citizen creation platform on WAVES OTT; and the introduction of advanced Electronic Program Guide (EPG) and built-in satellite tuners in televisions to improve access to DD Free Dish services.
The event was attended by key representatives of the media and entertainment industry, heads of YouTube India along with senior officials from the ministry.
Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of democratizing technology, Mr. Vaishnaw said these initiatives will make technology more affordable and accessible. He said that with built-in satellite tuners and an advanced program guide, citizens can now easily access content without additional equipment.
He described MyWAVES as a powerful platform for content creators that allows them to create, upload and share content. Referring to the Union Budget announcement, he highlighted the government’s commitment to support the “orange economy” and support the creative sector.
Free AI Skills Training
The Union Minister said about 15,000 youth will be trained free of charge under the National Initiative for Artificial Intelligence, which will be implemented with the support of YouTube. He spoke about the ‘Creators’ Corner’ scheme and urged content creators to actively use Doordarshan and platforms like MyWAVES to showcase India’s rich culture, traditions and regional diversity. Union Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju said the initiatives reflect a common political direction.
Commenting on the partnership’s impact on creators, YouTube India CEO Gunjan Soni said, “We believe AI has the potential to open up remarkable opportunities for India’s dynamic creative economy. Through our collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and IICT, we aim to equip creators and professionals with the skills needed to master the tools of the future, use AI to expand its impactful role and create compelling new gaming the media.”
The AI Skills Program will run in two phases – Phase I from March 23 to June 30, 2026 and Phase II from July to December 2026.
The first phase will focus on fundamental AI learning at scale through Google Career Certificates and Google Cloud Generative AI learning paths. Participants will take courses such as Artificial Intelligence Basics, Challenge Basics, Introduction to Generative Artificial Intelligence, and the Lead Artist’s Generative Journey. Successful completion of this phase will be a condition for advancing to the next phase.
The second phase will include advanced, practical and project-based specialization for the creative industries. The curriculum will include modules on the art of storytelling, YouTube best practices and advanced training using artificial intelligence tools such as Gemini 3, Nano Banana, Veo and Vertex AI.
Published – 23 March 2026 22:12 IST
