Here’s what Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Budget Day (Union Budget 2026–27) with respect to VFX (visual effects), creative skills, employment and investment: 🎨 1. Boosting the AVGC (Animation, VFX, Gaming & Comics) Sector 📍 She highlighted the importance of India’s creative and digital content ecosystem — especially animation, visual effects (VFX), gaming and comics — as part of the broader “orange economy” push. These industries are expected to be major drivers of future jobs and creative export potential. 📍 Projected job creation: The Budget documents and announcements refer to the AVGC sector’s potential to generate millions of jobs (with estimates saying it could require about 2 million professionals by 2030). 🧑‍🎓 2. Skills & Youth Employment Initiatives 📍 Content Creator Labs: Sitharaman announced plans to set up AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15, 000 secondary schools and 500 colleges across India, backed by the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) in Mumbai. These are aimed at training students in creative tech and digital content skills — including VFX — to prepare them for future careers. 📍 Education-to-Employment Focus: She emphasized that this skills push is part of a broader strategy to move students from education into employment, especially in emerging digital and creative fields. 💼 3. Employment & Investment Context 📍 Employment Focus: Sitharaman termed this Budget a “yuva shakti–driven Budget” with a strong focus on education, skills, job creation and expanding services sectors where creative digital skills like VFX are embedded within broader employment strategies. 📍 Investment in People & Technology: Though she didn’t talk about VFX investment in isolation as a budget line item, she spoke about investing in people and technologies as a priority — linking skilling, digital talent growth and service-led employment opportunities with overall economic competitiveness. 🧠 4. Strategic Long-Term Vision 📍 Services Sector as Growth Engine: Sitharaman outlined plans for a high-powered “Education to Employment and Enterprise” committee that will identify growth and jobs opportunities across sectors — including creative and tech — and make them globally competitive. 📍 Future of Jobs: The emphasis isn’t just on immediate employment but on future-ready skills, where VFX and related creative technologies are part of the services and digital content economy India wants to lead. In short: On Budget Day, FM Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted the AVGC sector (including VFX) as a key area for skill development and job creation, announced wide-ranging skilling initiatives (like creator labs in schools/colleges) designed to build a skilled workforce for these industries, and positioned investment in people, technology and creative talent as central to India’s employment and growth strategy.