Maharashtra Cabinet Decisions

Maharashtra Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality Policy 2025

Planning up to the year 2050; Draft of around ₹3,268 crore

New 2 lakh employment opportunities, ₹50,000 crore investment to come

Sept 2025 : Approval was given today in the Cabinet meeting to the State’s Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) Policy 2025. The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. This is an important step towards making Mumbai the capital of the entertainment and tourism sector, and now the media, entertainment, and Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) sector has been given the status of industry and infrastructure sector.

In this policy, planning has been made till the year 2050, and for that, a draft of about ₹3,268 crore has been prepared. Due to this policy, in the state, during this twenty-year period, an investment of about ₹50,000 crore is expected to come. Also, 2 lakh new jobs based on advanced technology related to this sector will be created.

Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) is considered an important component of the country’s Media and Entertainment (M&E) industry. This sector has started growing rapidly in India. The Media and Entertainment market is estimated to expand from the current 27 billion dollars to more than 100 billion dollars by 2030. Therefore, in India, in this sector, more than 30 lakh direct employment and more than 51 lakh 50 thousand indirect employment are expected to be created.

In the Vision Document prepared by Maharashtra Economic Advisory Committee, with the aim of making Maharashtra’s economy worth 1 trillion dollars, this sector was also mentioned. With this objective, the Central Government had recently organized the international conference “WAVES 2025” in Mumbai. Through this conference, MoUs worth about ₹8,000 crore were also made. In this committee’s report too, it has been mentioned that for skill development and innovation development, Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) is important and supportive. Also, it was recommended to prepare a separate policy for this sector. In the country, such policies have been prepared in the states of Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh.

In Maharashtra, there are more than 295 studios in the field of Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR). The maximum, that is, 30% of India’s studios are in Maharashtra. In Mumbai and Pune, 20 institutions are active which provide educational facilities for animation, visual effects and gaming. Maharashtra has already declared Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) sector as an emerging industry under the Information Technology and Information Technology Enabled Services Policy-2023. The technology in this field is used in areas like healthcare, education, marketing, defense, gaming, agriculture and real estate. In healthcare, AR-VR is used for medical simulation. It is also used for providing facilities to patients and for medical education. In marketing, branding and immersive visuals, while in defense sector simulation is being used. In real estate, for 3D modeling and virtual tours, this technology is used.

There is immense scope in this sector for innovation, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property creation. Through this, the inflow of domestic and international investment in the state can also increase. Therefore, Maharashtra has a great opportunity to become a global destination in this sector. For this, under this policy, various institutional components will be encouraged. Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) will work as the leading institution in this field.

AVGC-XR parks will be developed as dedicated industry hubs. These parks will be developed in such a way that they will be equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, all facilities for business, and encouragement to startups, MSMEs and large entities working in this field.

Especially, planning for the development of these parks will be done at places like Film City (Mumbai), Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Kolhapur, Satara and Nagpur. These parks will be equipped with world-class facilities like high-speed digital connectivity, motion capture studio, post-production lab, high-performance rendering farm, sound recording facility and virtual production studio. To meet the needs of this industry, infrastructure will be provided here including AI-based animation, real-time rendering, immersive experiences and metaverse-related applications.

In integrated industrial areas (IIA), IT parks, and other facility centers, 60% of the area will be reserved for these initiatives, while the remaining 40% will be for complementary businesses such as residential, institutional, and recreational spaces. Also, additional Floor Space Index (FSI) included in the earlier IT & ITES (Maharashtra Information Technology and IT Enabled Services) Policy 2023 will be made available to these initiatives. Through this, the infrastructure ecosystem for this sector will become even stronger. AVGC-XR parks, as well as clusters of these components, regional clusters, testing and certification facilities (standardization), centers of excellence, virtual production studios, design studios – such components will be established.

This AVGC-XR initiative can be started in any zone. For this, there will be no restriction of residential, green zone. Also, under this policy, these initiatives will have permission to operate 24×7 by following the safety standards prescribed by the Labor Department and other concerned authorities. This industry will have the status of essential service and will operate 24×7 and 365 days.

For these initiatives, there will be a special cell on the State Maharashtra Information Technology Interface (MAHITI) portal. In addition, MAITRI portal will work as a one-stop hub. To ensure that the required skilled manpower is available for this industry, Maharashtra AVGC-XR Skill Advisory Committee is being established. This committee will include industry experts from this field, experts from universities and academic sectors, representatives of various industry organizations, etc.

For implementation of this policy, approval has been given to the draft of total ₹3,268 crore – ₹308 crore for the first five years (2025–30), and estimated ₹2,960 crore for the next twenty years (2031–50). For implementation of this policy, additional provision of ₹100 crore has been approved in the financial year 2025–26. Also, under this policy, approval has been given to the proposal to raise a fund of ₹200 crore as WAVES participation fund and ₹300 crore fund to support local entrepreneurs’ startups in this sector. This policy will be published in detail.

Other Cabinet Decisions

Renewable Energy Joint Venture Project in Osmanabad and Parbhani Districts

For the development of 750 MW renewable energy joint venture projects in Osmanabad and Parbhani districts under the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited and Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited, approval has been given to the proposed terms and conditions and to take necessary further action in this regard.

Maharashtra Government Employee Welfare Federation
Amendment in Rules Regarding Hostel Allowance of Students

The hostel allowance given to the students of the employees of Maharashtra Government Employee Welfare Federation has been increased from ₹750 per month to ₹1,500 per month.

New “Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Farmers’ Hostels” Scheme for Farmers

The state government has decided to implement a new scheme named “Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Farmers’ Hostels” for farmers. Through this scheme, good quality and affordable hostel accommodation will be made available to farmers at the district level.

Approval for Establishment of 12 Orange Processing Centers in Amravati and Nagpur Division

Approval has been given for the establishment of 12 orange processing centers through the Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board in the districts of Amravati and Nagpur division.

Maharashtra State Highway Improvement Program Phase IV (MSHIP-IV)

Under this program, it has been approved to implement a total length of 1000 km of roads at an estimated cost of ₹12,000 crore, with the help of financial assistance from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana Phase-IV

For the implementation of road works under this scheme, a total expenditure of about ₹7,143 crore has been approved for 10,169 km road works.

Increase in Diet Allowance for Children in Ashram Schools

The current daily rate of diet allowance for children in Ashram schools has been increased. The rate has been raised from ₹900 to ₹1,200 for primary students and from ₹1,250 to ₹1,500 for secondary students.

Implementation of “PM-Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana” in Maharashtra

The Cabinet has approved the implementation of this scheme in the state to provide free electricity up to 300 units per month through solar rooftop systems to one crore households.

Maharashtra State Cooperative Development Corporation to be Wound Up

A decision has been taken to wind up the Maharashtra State Cooperative Development Corporation as the objectives of the corporation have been fulfilled and it has become inactive.

Mumbai Metro Line-11 Wadala–CSMT

Approval has been given for the implementation of Metro Line-11 (Wadala–CSMT) with a length of 14.47 km at an estimated cost of ₹16,000 crore.

Grant for Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Centre, Nagpur

Approval has been given to provide financial grant of ₹100 crore for the development works of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Centre, Nagpur.

Grant to Mumbai Marathi Grantha Sangrahalaya, Dadar

Approval has been given to provide a financial grant of ₹50 crore to Mumbai Marathi Grantha Sangrahalaya, Dadar.

Constitution of “Maharashtra Drone Policy 2025”

Approval has been given to “Maharashtra Drone Policy 2025” to encourage the use of drones in agriculture, industry, disaster management, healthcare, and other fields.