Create In India, Create For The World: How PM Modi’s ‘Orange Economy’ Vision Is Driving GDP

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had placed creativity at the centre of India’s next phase of growth, in the present context of a digital-first world, calling the Orange Economy the dawn of a new economic era, the one powered by stories, music, design and digital content. Now, the industry response to the Prime Minister’s vision for the Orange Economy has been notably upbeat, with companies treating creativity as a core growth sector rather than a cultural add-on. 

At a 2025 event in Mumbai, PM Modi had called the era the right time to “create in India and create for the world”. He stressed that the Orange Economy rests on 3 pillars, which are content, creativity and culture. At the time, when screens are shrinking to mobiles and OTT, even though audiences are expanding globally, Prime Minister Modi suggested that India’s millennia-old treasury of stories gives it a natural advantage.

The government’s pitch was to scale India’s creative industries into a major export and employment engine. PM Modi noted that the sector already contributes $30 billion to GDP and employs 8% of the workforce, with creative exports above $11 billion. He pointed to the $430 billion global animation market, set to double this decade, as a space where Indian talent can lead. “In the coming years, the creative economy can increase its contribution to India's GDP,” he advised creators to “dream big and tell their stories”.

The media houses, gaming studios, OTT platforms and animation firms welcomed the government’s focus on content, creativity and culture as the 3 pillars of the new economy. The stakeholders emphasised that the framing gives policy weight to sectors that have long driven soft power but lacked institutional backing, and that aligns well with India’s strengths in storytelling, music and digital talent.

Now, the investment signals have followed the vision, with firms across films, music, fashion, advertising and digital entertainment announcing expansion plans tied to the Orange Economy push. Gradiente Infotainment Ltd’s commitment of around Rs 5000 crore, including $110 million in the first phase, is one of the early large-scale bets to build studios, infrastructure and global distribution in Africa and Europe. The other players have spoken of scaling animation and VFX capacity, backing creators on short-form platforms, and producing India-centric IP for international audiences. The mood in boardrooms has shifted from viewing content as marketing to treating it as an export industry with measurable revenue targets.

The industry bodies and startups have also responded positively on the jobs and skilling front, with PM Modi urging creators to “dream big and tell their stories” and calling for investment in people, companies are partnering with Skill India initiatives and design schools to build talent pipelines in gaming, animation and post-production. The investors are also leaning in, seeing the $430 billion global animation market and booming OTT demand as openings for Indian firms. The consensus across the sector is that policy clarity combined with private capital can turn India’s creative output into a sustained contributor to GDP and employment in the years ahead.

The vision is now drawing private capital, with Gradiente Infotainment Ltd announcing a phased investment of around Rs 5000 crore to accelerate the Orange Economy. The board approved the first phase in Hyderabad this week, with plans to raise $110 million, about Rs 1050 crore, to strengthen digital infrastructure and expand production.

Managing Director Dr Vimal Raj Mathur said that the outlay is to make India a global creative hub and generate new jobs. “This Rs 5000 crore investment will be a game changer in making India a global creative hub, taking the country's art and digital content to every corner of the world, and creating new jobs…..Amidst the ongoing digital revolution in the country, the Orange Economy will become the biggest source of economic growth in the times to come,” he said. 

The firm confirmed that the company's focus will be on Africa and Europe, building an ‘entertainment supermarket’ across films, OTT, fashion, advertising, music and live events to boost ‘Brand India’ abroad.

Earlier, at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue in January 2026, PM Modi had reiterated that Digital India, startup growth and youth participation were driving the “unprecedented rise of the ‘Orange Economy’, covering culture, content and creativity”.

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