The Maharashtra Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC‑XR) Policy 2025, with a roadmap extending to 2050, aimed at making Mumbai the entertainment and tourism capital of India.
Chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the meeting cleared a Rs 3,268-crore plan to boost the AVGC-XR ecosystem, projected to generate 2 lakh high-tech jobs and attract Rs 50,000 crore in investments over the next 25 years.
Maharashtra, home to 30 per cent of India’s animation studios, already hosts over 295 studios and 20 educational institutions in Mumbai and Pune. The AVGC‑XR sector will now enjoy industry and infrastructure status, opening doors to policy incentives, land reservations, and digital infrastructure upgrades.
The policy includes the development of dedicated AVGC-XR Parks in Film City (Mumbai), Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Kolhapur, Satara, and Nagpur. These hubs will feature motion capture studios, AR-VR labs, sound and virtual production facilities, and AI-based animation infrastructure.
A WAVES participation fund of Rs 200 crore and a startup fund of Rs 300 crore will back early-stage ventures. A Skill Advisory Committee will also be formed to address talent pipeline challenges, while special cells will operate on MAHITI and MAITRI portals for project facilitation.
Maharashtra–Satluj JV to develop 5000 MW renewable power projects
In a major green energy push, the Cabinet also approved a joint venture between Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (MAHANIRMITI) and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd., targeting 5,000 MW of renewable energy capacity.
The JV will initially develop projects with a total 735 MW capacity, including the Ghatghar Stage-2, Udanchan hydropower (125 MW), and floating solar plants at Irai (105 MW) and Nimvar (505 MW).
Equity will be split 51 per cent to Satluj and 49 per cent to MAHANIRMITI, with operations managed by a joint board and executive team. The initiative aligns with Maharashtra’s goal of 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030 and 75 per cent by 2047, in line with India`s net-zero 2070 pledge.
Maharashtra to conduct over 1 lakh cataract surgeries to mark PM Modi`s birthday
More than one lakh cataract surgeries will be conducted across Maharashtra as part of a fortnight-long health initiative to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday, state BJP president Ravindra Chavan announced on Tuesday.
The drive, scheduled from September 17 to October 2, will also include eye check-ups for at least 10 lakh people and the distribution of spectacles to the needy, Chavan told reporters in Mumbai.
“We will bring together NGOs, social groups, and other organisations to perform over one lakh cataract operations, ensure eye screening for 10 lakh individuals, and provide spectacles to those in need,” said Chavan. The initiative is being projected as a large-scale service outreach by the BJP aimed at connecting with people across the state.
