15,000 Creator Labs to Power India’s Digital Future: Ashwini Vaishnaw

By Pickle March 9, 2026

India is set to launch 15,000 creator labs nationwide—the Union Minister’s bold plan to turn digital creativity into a structured, grassroots engine for jobs and innovation.

In a bold move to reshape India’s digital landscape, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, has placed the establishment of 15,000 creator labs at the forefront of the country’s new vision for the creator economy. Announced as part of the updated Digital India Mission and backed by the Union Budget, these labs in schools across the country are set to empower more than one crore creators, delivering advanced content creation tools and training to communities at the grassroots level.

The Minister said this while speaking in the Post Budget Webinar – Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas – Fulfilling Aspirations of the People. In the seminar Vaishnaw emphasized that technology is playing a primary role in media entertainment, highlighting that the WAVES platform was created to help India’s creators in leading the sector.

Speaking on India’s evolving creative and media ecosystem, Vaishnaw highlighted the transformative potential of these labs. “The aim is that every panchayat in India should have at least a few trained creators who are equipped with the latest technologies,” he stated. “We want to ensure that content creation becomes a viable source of livelihood and income for millions, not just a select few.”

From Organic Growth to Structured Opportunity

Vaishnaw described India’s creator economy as a sector that has rapidly emerged over the past decade, propelled by deep digital penetration—even in the country’s rural heartlands. Yet, he acknowledged, this growth has been largely organic and uneven. The new network of creator labs seeks to change that, transforming a digital phenomenon into a structured and inclusive opportunity pipeline.

“This is as much a jobs and income story as it is a cultural one,” Vaishnaw emphasized. “We are democratizing access to creative tools and ensuring that the benefits of the digital economy reach every corner of India.”

Institutional Support: IICT and WAVES

The 15,000 creator labs are just one part of a broader, three-pronged approach. Vaishnaw also spotlighted the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) and the WAVES platform as key pillars of the new ecosystem.

The IICT, modelled after India’s top technical and management institutes, is envisioned as a new chain of institutions dedicated to creative technologies and content creation. “Our focus is on practical, industry-oriented education,” said Vaishnaw, noting that the first campus is already taking shape in Mumbai, with temporary world-class labs already operational in NFDC’s Peddar Road premises.

Meanwhile, WAVES serves as a bridge to the global market, connecting Indian creators with international audiences and buyers. According to Vaishnaw, the platform has already facilitated business worth over ₹1,000 crore for Indian creators, showcasing local content in cities like Tokyo, Melbourne, Germany and Toronto.

A National Project for Creative Empowerment

With these three pillars—15,000 creator labs, IICT, and WAVES—the government is taking deliberate steps to institutionalize and scale what has so far been an informal, social-media-driven boom. Vaishnaw’s vision situates these efforts within a larger mission for a “developed India,” where new policy frameworks and public platforms, such as Doordarshan’s Creators’ Corner, provide further avenues for creators to share their work and find new audiences.

“India’s creator economy is no longer just a side effect of social media,” Vaishnaw asserted. “It is a national project, supported by dedicated laboratories, institutes, and platforms designed to give our storytellers and innovators the foundation they need to build lasting careers.”

As the government rolls out this ambitious infrastructure, all eyes will be on how effectively these pillars translate into real opportunities for millions of aspiring creators across the country.

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