The State Cabinet, on Wednesday, approved Karnataka Animation, Visual Effects and Comics Policy (AVGC) 2017-22. This policy will extend support for the sunrise industry to grow both technologically and in terms of output in Bengaluru and other tier-II cities of the State.
The focus of the new policy will be on giving production grants for activities, such as animated feature films and visual effect projects. The policy will propel Karnataka a truly global leader in AVGC and is expected to generate 15,000 jobs. The earlier policy (2012-17) lapsed this year.
Speaking to The Hindu after the Cabinet meeting, Minister for IT/BT and Science and Technology Priyank Kharge said the government would set up a Centre of Excellence for Animation in Bengaluru, a first of its kind in the country.
The policy will also woo overseas production houses to set up their Indian centres in the state by taking advantage of the production-linked incentives and the skilled talent pool that is available.
The policy, which was drafted in consultation with the industry body ABAI, is keen on getting overseas AVGC firms on board so that Bengaluru and other tier-II cities in the state will benefit from the high-end technology. ABAI is a non-profit organisation committed to developing animation, VFX and gaming industry in India.
Mr. Kharge said the policy will also encourage professionals to create original intellectual property content. Nearly 20% of India’s game developers and service providers are located in Bengaluru. Karnataka is registering ₹20 crore AVGC fund to promote cutting-edge work in the AVGC sector.
Farm input
The Cabinet approved implementation of incentivising farmers and technical promoters to adopt improved technologies through direct benefit transfer with an estimated budget outlay of ₹130.23 crore. This will encourage farmers to implement water conserving technologies. A sum of ₹4,000 per hectare would be given to farmers to adopt new technologies.
Road policy
The Karnataka Rural Roads Maintenance Policy was approved for maintenance of rural roads under various schemes of the union and state governments. The state has 1.77 lakh km network of rural roads.
