New Delhi, Feb. 1 -- Presenting her ninth consecutive Budget in Parliament, Sitharaman said the Centre plans to support the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, Mumbai, in setting up Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges nationwide.

The move is aimed at preparing young Indians for careers in a sector projected to need two million professionals by 2030.

"India's Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics AVGC sector is a growing industry," the Finance Minister said, underlining the need for early exposure and structured training to meet future workforce demands.

The proposed labs are expected to focus on hands-on learning and skill development align...