Fair compensation for creators must be part of the legal and policy frameworks supporting India’s creative economy, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan said at the Jindal Policy Conclave on 18 September.
According to the Press Information Bureau, Murugan also called for copyright protection and responsible use of artificial intelligence. The conclave was held at O.P. Jindal Global University on the theme ‘Law, Policy, and the Creative Economy’.
The release did not specify payment rates, a compensation mechanism or a timetable for new safeguards. It did not announce a new payment scheme, copyright amendment or binding AI rules.
The wider creative workforce
Murugan cited an estimated 5.7 crore Indians working in cultural and creative occupations and valued the media and entertainment industry at about ₹2.5 lakh crore. These figures cover a much wider workforce and industry than social-media creators alone.
The creative economy includes film, music, gaming, animation, design, publishing, advertising and digital content. Murugan said the animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) sector could need nearly 20 lakh skilled professionals by 2030. This is projected demand, not a count of current vacancies.
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Creator labs and training
The 2026-27 Union Budget proposed AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges. Murugan referred to this existing plan in his address.
In an earlier parliamentary reply, the ministry said ₹250 crore had been allocated to the labs. It designated the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), Mumbai, to oversee their phased rollout. Consultations on equipment and participating institutions were underway at the time.
