The Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, launched three initiatives aimed at strengthening India’s media, broadcasting and digital sectors and promoting the creative economy. The initiatives comprise a national AI skilling initiative in partnership with Google and YouTube through the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), MyWAVES, a citizen creator platform on WAVES OTT, and the rollout of in-built satellite tuners and an advanced electronic programme guide for access to DD Free Dish channels without a set-top box. The measures are presented as efforts to promote the Orange Economy, bolster public broadcasting and develop an AI skilled workforce for the media and entertainment sector.

The national AI skilling initiative will train 15,000 participants from the creative and media sectors and will be implemented through IICT. The programme is structured in two phases, with the first phase running from 23 March to 30 June 2026 focusing on foundational AI learning at scale through Google Career Certificates and Google Cloud generative AI learning paths. Courses in phase one will include AI Essentials, Prompting Essentials and an introduction to generative AI, with successful completion required to progress. Phase two, to be held from July to December 2026, will provide advanced hands-on and project-based specialisation for animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and media technology.

MyWAVES has been introduced within the WAVES OTT platform to enable citizens to create, upload and share user-generated content across multiple formats, including short and vertical videos and episodic content, and to provide a multilingual interface in Indian languages. The platform is designed to support participation in national initiatives such as the Create in India Challenge and to shift audiences from passive viewing to active content participation. The release noted that the Creators' Corner initiative has already attracted over three million (mn) views and that these digital pathways are expected to expand opportunities for emerging storytellers. Creators are encouraged to leverage Doordarshan, WAVES OTT and MyWAVES to showcase regional culture and traditions.

Built-in tuners and the advanced guide enable DD Free Dish. Prasar Bharati and IICT will implement.