Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw unveils three new initiatives to promote ‘orange economy’

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday (March 23, 2026) unveiled three new initiatives aimed at strengthening India’s media, broadcasting, and digital sector and promoting the “orange economy”, or the creative economy.

The creative economy includes industries where economic value is generated primarily from creativity, culture, technology, and intellectual property.

The three initiatives are named the National AI Skilling Initiative in partnership with Google and YouTube through the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT); MyWAVES, a citizen creator platform on WAVES OTT; and the rollout of advanced Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) and in-built satellite tuners in television sets for enhancing access to DD Free Dish services.

The event witnessed participation from key media and entertainment industry representatives, the head of YouTube India along with senior Ministry officials.

Underscoring Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of democratising technology, Mr. Vaishnaw said the initiatives will make technology more affordable and accessible. He said with in-built satellite tuners and an advanced programme guide, citizens can now access content easily without additional equipment.

He described MyWAVES as a powerful platform for content creators, enabling them to create, upload, and share content. Referring to the Union Budget announcements, he underlined the government’s commitment to promoting the “Orange Economy” and supporting the creative sector.

Free training of AI skills

The Union Minister said under the National AI Skilling Initiative, being implemented with the support of YouTube, about 15,000 youth will be trained without levying any fee. 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 reflected a common policy direction.

Speaking about the partnership’s impact on creators, YouTube India managing director Gunjan Soni said: “We believe that AI has the potential to open up remarkable opportunities for India’s dynamic creative economy. Through our collaboration with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and IICT, we aim to equip creators and professionals with the skills required to master the tools of the future, leverage AI to tell more compelling stories, expand their reach to new audiences, and play a role in shaping the future of media.”

The AI skilling programme will be conducted 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 foundational AI learning at scale through Google Career Certificates and Google Cloud Generative AI learning paths. Participants will undergo courses such as AI Essentials, Prompting Essentials, Introduction to Generative AI, and Generative AI Leader Path. Successful completion of this phase will be mandatory for progression to the next stage.

The second phase will involve advanced, hands-on and project-based specialisation for the creative industry. The curriculum will include modules on the art of storytelling, YouTube best practices, and advanced training using AI tools such as Gemini 3, Nano Banana, Veo, and Vertex AI.