New Delhi: The Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, inaugurated the WAVES Creators’ Corner on the second day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Conceptualized as a fully operational, hands-on innovation workspace, the Pavilion is designed to demonstrate the transformative applications of Artificial Intelligence within the AVGC-XR (Animation, VFX, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality) ecosystem.

During the inaugural ceremony, the Minister underscored that the WAVES Creators’ Corner serves as a strategic extension of the Ministry’s key initiatives, including WaveX, Waves Bazaar, and the Create in India Challenges. Shri Vaishnaw conducted an extensive walkthrough of the pavilion, interacting with emerging entrepreneurs from the WaveX startup cohort and senior leadership from global entities such as Adobe, Netflix, Sony, and Amazon.

51 Startups Got Exposure

In a significant boost to the Media & Entertainment ecosystem, 51 promising AVGC-XR and Media Tech startups, supported by WaveX, are showcasing AI-powered solutions and immersive technologies at the Pavilion. Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw interacted with these entrepreneurs, including winners of the Bhasha Setu and Kalaa Setu challenges.

Fireside Chat with Shradha Sharma

The Minister also participated in a high-profile fireside conversation with Shradha Sharma of YourStory at the Media Lounge. In this session, he shared his perspective on the profound impact of AI on society, highlighting how technology is bridging the gap for talent from rural India to establish world-class startups.

Key Technological Highlights at WAVES Creators’ Corner

The Pavilion showcased cutting-edge AI experiences, from real-time game development and prompt-to-cinema live studios to an Agentic AI-powered newsroom by AWS and BharatGen enabling automated editorial workflows. Innovations included Sarvam’s real-time voice cloning and Indus Chat App for multilingual interaction, 270-degree AI film screenings curated by NFDC, Sony Research India’s face and voice re-aging technology, and Whistling Woods International’s marker-less motion capture using a DSLR or iPhone.

Capacity Building and Future Readiness:
The Minister praised IICT for integrating AI into creative education to equip students for evolving industry demands.

WAVES Creators’ Corner:
The platform will continue hosting expert dialogues, filmmaker masterclasses, and technical sessions by global leaders throughout the Summit.

Srinagar, February 18:The Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Kashmir of Crime Branch J&K said that it is conducting searches in the districts of Shopian and Budgam in connection with case FIR No. 30/2025, registered under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act at Police Station EOW Kashmir, Crime Branch J&K.

In a handout, The CBK said that the matter came to light following a written complaint regarding large-scale financial fraud at Branch Unit Shopian of HDFC Bank.

In compliance with the directions of PHQ J&K, the case was transferred from Police Station Shopian to the Crime Branch J&K for comprehensive investigation.

In connection with the case, five bank employees have been arrested so far. The arrested employees are Adil Ayoub Ganai, S/o Mohammad Ayoub Ganai, R/o Memendar, Shopian; A/P Hamza Colony, Baghat-e-Kanipora, Nowgam, Irfan Majeed Zargar, S/o Abdul Majeed Zargar, R/o Sheikh Mohalla, Bonigam, Shopian, Mubashir Hussain Sheikh, S/o Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh, R/o Karena, Kulgam, Zaid Manzoor, S/o Manzoor Ahmad Din, R/o Dagerpora, Khannabal, Anantnag and Javaid Ahmad Bhat, S/o Abdul Rahim Bhat, R/o Below Rajpora, Pulwama.

Searches are presently underway at multiple locations in Shopian and Budgam to collect material evidence in the case.

The Economic Offences Wing, Kashmir will continue to pursue all lawful measures to safeguard financial integrity, reads the statement.(GNS)

Vinod Bhat

New Delhi: A high-level thematic session titled “Advancing AI Readiness and Adoption in Manufacturing MSMEs” was held today on the second day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. The session brought together key Ministries of the Government of India, including the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Ministry of Textiles, and the Department of Pharmaceuticals (Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers), along with policymakers, industry representatives, and academia.

During the session, a study jointly undertaken by the National Institute of Smart Governance (NISG) and Athena Infonomics, under the aegis of MeitY and the India AI Mission, was launched. This study will focus on developing a practical and operational roadmap to accelerate AI adoption in manufacturing MSMEs across sectors such as textiles, pharmaceuticals (including medical devices), and electronics. The findings will inform MSME adoption pathways and guide government interventions that directly impact national manufacturing output, export competitiveness, and employment outcomes.

Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, emphasized the need for harnessing AI to enhance productivity, efficiency, and capabilities in the manufacturing MSME sector. He stated that the India AI Mission is committed to ensuring that AI meaningfully impacts real sectors of the economy, particularly in boosting manufacturing MSMEs.

In his address, Shri S. C. L. Das, Secretary, MSME, highlighted AI as a “great force multiplier” and emphasized that the industry would drive the AI-powered transformation of the Indian economy toward Atmanirbhar Bharat. He further pointed out that the confluence of AI at the shop floor level is crucial for MSMEs to become more competitive.

According to the Economic Survey 2025–26, the MSME sector contributes approximately 31.1% of India’s GDP, accounts for 35.4% of total manufacturing output, and 48.6% of the country’s exports. Given that manufacturing is a key driver of India’s ambition to become a $35 trillion economy by 2047, accelerating technology adoption, improving access to finance, and strengthening market linkages will be vital to future-proofing MSMEs’ contribution to national economic growth.

This study will cover over 350 MSME manufacturing factories across India, gathering a granular, experience-based understanding from the shop floor to senior management. The research aims to identify AI interventions that can materially improve unit economics, enhance product-service extension, and expand global market access and participation.

Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar, CEO of NISG, expressed his enthusiasm about undertaking this study, noting that it would provide an implementable roadmap for driving AI adoption among manufacturing MSMEs. He further emphasized that AI will play a pivotal role in India’s journey to becoming the third-largest economy globally.

Shri Rohit Kansal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, stressed that India’s AI dividend will be realized on the factory floor. He underlined that the long-term economic shift of India will depend on whether AI can modernize legacy industries such as textiles, food processing, and more.

Shri Aman Sharma, Joint Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, pointed out that AI can significantly reduce costs and improve the quality of production for MSMEs, which represent over 80% of the manufacturing units in the sector.

The thematic session formed an essential part of the India AI Summit 2026, serving as a platform for structured dialogue, knowledge exchange, and coordinated action across various stakeholders in the AI ecosystem.

Viniod Bhat

New Delhi: Lauding India’s first government owned, sovereign “Large Language Model”, Multilingual AI stack, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology; Earth Sciences; and Minister of State for PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today said that Artificial Intelligence is no longer an option but an essential component of working in every sphere of life, as he addressed the session on “BharatGen Models: Vision and Technical Execution 2026” at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

The session was hosted by BharatGen in association with the India AI Mission, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), as part of the Global AI Summit.

Congratulating the BharatGen team, the Minister said the initiative represents a significant milestone in India’s journey towards technological self-reliance. He underlined that BharatGen stands out as a government-owned sovereign multilingual and multimodal Large Language Model (LLM) initiative, tailored to India’s socio-cultural context and linguistic diversity. While large language models are known globally, he noted that BharatGen’s distinct feature lies in its sovereign, government-supported character, reflecting a proactive policy approach at an early stage of technological evolution.

Union Minister observed that BharatGen exemplifies a “whole-of-science, whole-of-government and whole-of-nation” model. The initiative is implemented through a consortium led by the TIH Foundation for IoT and IoE at IIT Bombay, with partner institutions including IIIT Hyderabad, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Mandi, IIT Kanpur, IIM Indore and IIT Madras. It is supported by DST through the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) with ₹235 crore of funding, and further strengthened through the India AI Mission of MeitY with an outlay of ₹10,585 crore.

Highlighting the technological depth of the project, the Minister noted that BharatGen spans multiple AI modalities, including text-based large language models, speech technologies such as text-to-speech and automatic speech recognition, and document vision-language models. He stated that BharatGen’s foundational models are designed for inclusive, India-centric applications in governance, healthcare, education, agriculture and legal systems, especially in linguistically diverse regions.

Referring to recent developments, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that BharatGen has already released domain-specific fine-tuned models such as Ayur Param for Ayurveda, Agri Param for agriculture and Legal Param for the Indian legal domain. He further noted that the Hon’ble Prime Minister launched BharatGen’s latest models, including the Param-2 text foundation model in 22 scheduled Indian languages with 17 billion parameters, Shrutam speech-to-text models in 12 Indian languages, Sooktam text-to-speech models in 12 languages, and Patram models under the DocBodh framework for multilingual access to complex Indian documents.

The Minister emphasised that India’s linguistic diversity extends beyond the 22 scheduled languages, and stressed the need to continuously expand datasets to include widely spoken regional languages and dialects. He noted that scientific advancement cannot be confined by administrative boundaries and must respond to real-world linguistic diversity, particularly in sectors such as digital health and public service delivery.

Dr. Singh also highlighted that BharatGen’s ecosystem integrates academia, government and industry, supported by collaborative funding mechanisms. He stated that the initiative has transformed into a Section-8 company, the BharatGen Technology Foundation, enabling it to operate at national scale while ensuring data and model sovereignty through initiatives such as Bharat Data Sagar.

Calling for a change in mindset across public and private sectors, the Minister said that emerging technologies such as AI require collaborative approaches rather than siloed functioning. He underscored that the Government is committed to enabling innovation through supportive policies, early-stage funding and openness to private participation, ensuring that India keeps pace with global advancements.

The session also featured presentations by Shri Rishi Bal, CEO BharatGen; Prof. Ganesh Ramakrishnan, Principal Investigator, IIT Bombay; Prof. S. Ravi Kiran, IIIT Hyderabad; and Dr. Amol Gite, Vice President, BharatGen, who outlined the ecosystem, data journey, deployment-ready platforms and sectoral partnerships. Addresses were delivered by Dr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman, NMICPS; Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary MeitY; Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary DST; and Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser. An MoU exchange between BharatGen and the IIT Bombay Heritage Foundation also took place in the presence of the Minister.

Concluding his address, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that BharatGen represents a new phase in India’s AI journey combining sovereign capability, collaborative execution and inclusive design and will play a vital role in building a robust national AI infrastructure aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat.

Vinod Bhat

New Delhi: The WAVES Creators’ Corner has been conceptualized not merely as a showcase pavilion, but as a fully operational, hands-on innovation workspace. Designed to demonstrate real-world, game-changing applications of Artificial Intelligence across the AVGC-XR (Animation, VFX, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality) ecosystem, the Corner offers visitors an immersive and participatory experience.

This space serves as a strategic extension of WAVES and its key verticals: WaveX, Waves Bazaar, and the Create in India Challenges, with WaveX startups taking center stage through impactful demonstrations and live deployments.

Alongside emerging innovators, leading global and Indian industry players such as Adobe, Netflix, Sony, Collective, Inshorts, KukuFM, and Whistling Woods International will showcase cutting-edge AI tools and transformative media technologies.

Key Experience Zones

AI Gaming Lab
Visitors experienced AI-powered game development in real time today, from concept generation to playable prototypes, and engaged with AI-built video games within an interactive gaming lab environment. The AI Gaming Lab will continue to offer live demonstrations and interactive engagements over the coming days.

AI Content Creation Lab (Powered by Adobe)
The live studio environment demonstrated AI-assisted filmmaking, where prompts evolved into scripts, visuals and cinematic sequences in real time, redefining digital storytelling workflows. The lab will continue to showcase AI-enabled creative processes for visitors in the days ahead.

AI-Powered Newsroom
Powered by AWS, BharatGen, India Today and Kalasetu startups, the newsroom installation showcased how AI agents streamline newsroom operations, from automated content generation to voice-command-based editorial management, transforming the future of media operations. The installation will remain operational and continue demonstrations during the upcoming days of the Summit.

Narad Muni Interactive Installation
Inspired by the mythological messenger, the immersive installation demonstrated how AI-powered Large Language Models convert real-world questions into dynamic, conversational user experiences, showcasing the power of interactive intelligence. The interactive experience will continue to engage visitors in the coming days.

AI Theatre
The dedicated cinematic space featured approximately 150 AI-generated films curated by NFDC, LTIMindtree and Adobe, providing visitors an opportunity to unwind while witnessing the artistic and technological evolution of AI-driven filmmaking. Screenings will continue over the next few days at the Pavilion.

YourStory Lounge
The lounge hosted live fireside conversations with leaders from the AI ecosystem today. The sessions were moderated by Shraddha Sharma of YourStory, fostering dialogue at the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence. The lounge will continue to host discussions and interactive sessions over the coming days.

Key Booth Highlights at MIB Pavilion

The MIB Pavilion features leading global and Indian innovators showcasing cutting-edge AI applications across filmmaking, broadcasting, language technologies, education, and digital storytelling.

• Adobe is accelerating AI-powered filmmaking through collaborations like India Film Project, showcasing AI-generated films and live AI-first creative workflows.
• BharatGen is demonstrating Multimodal RAG technology to convert video and audio “dark data” into searchable, interactive assets.
• Sony Research India is presenting AI-driven translation, dubbing, face and voice re-aging, and accessibility solutions for TV and OTT platforms.
• Sarvam is enabling multilingual AI interaction through voice cloning, live speech-to-text, and real-time language AI tools.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS) is showcasing an “Agentic AI Assisted Newsroom” for hands-free, AI-enabled broadcast production and hyperlocal news delivery.
• Whistling Woods International is demonstrating AI-based marker-less motion capture workflows using minimal hardware.
• Galleri5 (Collective Artists Network) is presenting AI-native cinematic production platforms powering large-scale mythological and theatrical projects.
• Kuku FM is launching India’s first slate of AI-powered microdramas, highlighting grassroots digital storytelling innovation.
• Prismix is integrating Generative AI with VFX and traditional media for narrative-driven content creation.
• Inshorts is showcasing AI-powered news summarization with personalized content delivery.
• Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) is redefining AI-integrated creative education with immersive production environments.

AI Immersive Theatre:

It featured 270-degree projection and AI-powered cinematic experiences that redefined storytelling and audience engagement today. The AI Cinema Showcase, presented by the National Film Development Corporation and Waves Bazaar in collaboration with LTM, highlighted emerging filmmakers using AI as a storytelling medium. The programme also featured Kathāvatār, a curated collection of AI short films, alongside finalist works from India’s first CinemAI Hackathon.

Screened at the Waves Creators’ Corner within Bharat Mandapam, the initiative positioned India at the forefront of AI-driven cinematic innovation. The immersive screenings and showcase will continue over the coming days, offering visitors further opportunities to experience cutting-edge AI-enabled storytelling.

Content Creation Lab Powered by Adobe

It showcased AI-led video creation workflows designed for today’s content creators, with a strong focus on advanced creative technologies. The lab demonstrated how ideas were transformed into high-quality videos using text prompts, images, audio inputs and generative AI tools.

Through live demonstrations, creators experienced end-to-end AI workflows across video, audio and images, including text-to-video, image-to-video storytelling, generative edits and rapid content iteration. The showcase highlighted how AI simplified complex production processes, automated editing, enhanced visuals and accelerated storytelling from concept to final output. Overall, the experience presented AI as a catalyst for faster, smarter and more scalable multimedia content creation.

Media Lounge

Shradha Sharma from YourStory conducted interviews with founders and thought leaders today, and all sessions were live streamed on WAVES OTT, making the Summit’s insights and outcomes widely accessible. Expert dialogues covered public policy, platform ecosystems, sovereign AI capabilities and digital resilience, with insights from institutions such as the National Forensic Sciences University and KOGO, alongside ecosystem experiences from Kuku FM, Garage Labs and Oracle. Startup showcases, founder pitches and discussions on AI applications in healthcare, societal challenges and localised content further highlighted innovation-driven impact across India.

The Media Lounge engagements will continue over the coming days, featuring additional interactions, discussions and live sessions aimed at broadening access to the Summit’s key deliberations and outcomes

Panel Discussions and Masterclasses

The Pavilion at Bharat Mandapam today witnessed a series of panel discussions and masterclasses focusing on AI-led disruptions in the Media and Entertainment (M&E) industry. The discussions at the WAVES Creators’ Corner were curated as high-impact knowledge forums, bringing together industry leaders, venture capitalists, technologists, creators and policymakers.

Over the course of the sessions, deliberations explored the future of AI in gaming, cinema, newsroom automation, interactive media, monetisation models and ethical AI frameworks. Founder roundtables, masterclasses by noted filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, and technology deep-dive sessions by leading global technology companies formed part of today’s programme.

The sessions moved beyond theoretical discussions and featured practical demonstrations, real-world case studies and live Q&A interactions. Participants gained insights into the immediate applications of AI-powered media, its investment potential and its long-term creative impact on the M&E ecosystem.

The panel discussions and masterclasses will continue over the coming days at the WAVES Pavilion, further deepening engagement on the transformative role of AI in the Media and Entertainment sector.