The France-based Annecy International Animation Festival featured India's Creative Economy.

15 June 2023: A delegation from India led by Secretary I&B highlights the ministry's incentives for the AVGC industry and discusses the possibility of holding an international animation festival in India.

Swati Bhat

This year marks India's debut participation in The Annecy International Animation Festival (AIAF). At the AIAF, an Indian delegation headed by the Secretary, Information and Broadcasting, Shri. Apurva Chandra has been displaying India's talent for producing animation and VFX content for audiences throughout the world.

India has lately emerged as a preferred destination for VFX and animation content for global production houses. The animation and VFX market in India was pegged to be valued at Rs 109 billion in 2021, with the VFX business alone amounting to Rs 50 billion. This figure is expected to grow to Rs 180 billion by 2024 according to a E&Y report. India's participation at Annecy, therefore, assumes greater importance as the country showcases its abilities in the sector to international buyers.

Speaking about India's participation, Shri. Chandra said, "The Animation, Gaming, Visual Effects, and Comics (AVGC) Sector in India is making progress with the adoption of world-class techniques and innovative technologies, coupled with a pool of immensely talented professionals. India is one of the few countries providing cash incentives to foreign companies for making AVGC content in India. The incentives are the same as for shooting films in India. This is a huge opportunity for companies to benefit from this. As a country, we are committed to providing incentives to the industry, as well as supporting pre and post-production activities in India."

At the festival, Shri. Chandra spoke with AIAF director Michael Marin about ways to deepen India's participation in Annecy and the possibility of partnering with France to establish an animation film festival in India. Shri. Chandra opened the India Pavilion, which was built around the Saraswati Yantra design theme, and he also spoke with the Indian creative community whose works were chosen as winners of the prestigious Annecy festival competition in 2023. Young artists Arvind Jeena, Nikita Prabhudesai Jeena, Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, and Kalp Sanghvi attended the event among veterans of the field such Kireet Khurana, Saraswati Vani Balgum, Biren Ghosh, Anil Wanvari, and Anne Doshi.

Besides, Shri. Chandra interacted with delegates from other countries and the discussions centered around the various initiatives of the Ministry with regard to the AVGC sector, and the incentives given by the Indian Government for ease of business in the sector.

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The 16th edition of India Couture Week will include sixteen designers.

From July 25 to August 2, the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) will host the 16th edition of India Couture Week (ICW) in collaboration with Hyundai in the national capital of Delhi.

Swati Bhat

Sixteen of India's top couturiers will take part in the India Couture Week.

In a statement, Tarun Garg, chief operating officer at Hyundai Motor India Ltd, stated, "This powerful partnership celebrates the harmonious blend of two vibrant industries, encapsulating the very essence of Indian craftsmanship and culture." We hope to highlight designs that go beyond aesthetics through our collaboration, as well as create a platform that brings talented Indian artistry to the forefront."

"This edition of India Couture Week encapsulates the spirit of celebration, paying homage to the skilled artisans whose craftsmanship forms the very backbone of Indian fashion," Sunil Sethi, chairman of FDCI, stated. The designers' special collections will create unforgettable narratives that will serve as a monument to our country's rich cultural tapestry."

Participating designers at ICW include Anamika Khanna, Dolly J, Falguni Shane Peacock, Gaurav Gupta, JJ Valaya, Kunal Rawal, Rahul Mishra, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Rimzim Dadu, Ritu Kumar, Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna, Rose Room, Samant Chauhan, Shantnu Nikhil, Suneet Varma, Tarun Tahiliani, and Varun Bahl.

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150 foreign delegates from 50 countries & over 250 delegates attended the G20 summit in person.

The G20 Digital Economy Working Group's third meeting came to an end on June 14, 2023.

During the summit, India signed MoU with four countries on sharing INDIA STACK i.e. successful digital solutions implemented at a population scale.

The G20 DEWG deliberated on its priority topics of "Digital Public Infrastructure," "Digital Skill Development," and "Cybersecurity in the Digital Economy."

The Global DPI Summit (12-13 June 2023)

The "Digital Public Infrastructure," "Digital Skill," and "Cybersecurity in the Digital Economy" priority topics of the G20 DEWG were discussed.

Over 250 delegates physically attended the summit, including about 150 international delegates from 50 different nations. Over 2000 people participated virtually. India and four nations, namely Armenia, Sierra Leone, Suriname, and Antigua & Barbuda, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on sharing INDIA STACK, or effective digital solutions deployed at a population scale.

The summit gave participants from all over the world a forum to discuss sector-neutral (foundational) and sector-specific DPIs. This included discussions at the leadership, policy, and practitioner levels that were insightful, provocative, and future-shaping.

Overview of Digital Public Infrastructure, Digital Identities for Human Empowerment, Digital Payments and Financial Inclusion, Digital Document Exchange for Efficient Service Delivery, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for DPI, Digital Education and Skill Development, DPI for Digital Health and Climate Action, Digital Agriculture Ecosystem, and Building the Global DPI Ecosystem. India took the initiative and furthered its position of acting as a strong bridge between the Global North (G20 members) and the Global South (Developing and LMIC countries) by giving the global platform on DPI to digital decision-makers from 50 countries and several international organizations. The sessions from the Global DPI summit can be seen on demand at https://www.indiastack.global/global-dpi-summit/

The Global DPI Exhibition (12-14 June 2023)

The exhibition featured 14 experience zones with successfully implemented DPIs for digital identity, fast payments, digilockers, soil health cards, e-national agriculture markets, unified mobile apps for new-age governance, open networks for digital commerce, seamless airport travel, language translation, learning solutions, telemedical consultation, and the Digital India Journey. The delegates that were in attendance at the summit and G20 DEWG meeting went there. The exhibition was also visited by residents of Pune, including professionals, young people, and elderly people.

The Closed-Door Meeting of G20 DEWG (13-14 June 2023)

On June 13, 2023, 77 foreign representatives from G20 Members, 9 Guest Countries, 5 International Organisations, and 2 Regional Organisations entered the G20 DEWG meeting behind closed doors. Shri Sushil Pal, Co-Chair of the G20 DEWG, conducted the discussion while India held the presidency. Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the idea of "One Future Alliance & One Future Fund" for DPI, enabling principles for excellent DPI, and acknowledgment of the need for financing opportunities for DPI in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) were all topics covered throughout the meeting. After that, topics like knowledge sharing, developing a mutual recognition framework for digital skills, capacity building, and upskilling and downskilling were covered.

On the last day of the meeting i.e. 14 June 2023, the security for a safe, resilient and trusted digital economy and various aspects such as capacity building for children & youth, and countering potential security threats were deliberated.

The dedelegatesere exposed to Indian culture, Indian cuisine, Indian arts, Yoga, and Indian folk forms during the course of the last three days through a variety of cultural programs that were organized. The state government of Maharashtra provided complete assistance and coordination in the planning of this event, which is acknowledged and appreciated by the federal government of India.

As a next step, the fourth in-person meeting of the Digital Economy Working Group and Digital Economy Minister’s Meeting is planned to be organized in the month of August 2023 at Bengaluru, Karnataka.

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