Good news for all the online gamers in India as India’s first Centre of Excellence for online gaming will be set up in Northeast India’s Shillong, said the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar while speaking at a press conference held in Shillong.

Reportedly, the Digital India Startup Hub through the Software Technology Parks of India shall set up India’s first Centre of Excellence in Online Gaming in Shillong by March 2023.

The Centre of Excellence in Meghalaya’s Shillong is expected to catalyse startups and entrepreneurs to build the Next Gen Online Gaming ecosystem.

“It is the vision of PM Shri Narendra Modi ji that the next wave of startups and entrepreneurs must come from Shillong, Kohima and other parts of the Northeast”, said Chandrasekhar.

The minister also talked about the importance of Digital Skills post Covid, as the rate of  Digitalization of products, services, and devices continues to increase all around the world. “Imparting Digital Skills to the youth in North East Region to enable them to grab opportunities of jobs and entrepreneurship in the fast-expanding Digital economy is an article of faith for Shri Narendra Modi Government,” the Minister added.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) recently circulated Draft amendments to the IT Rules 2021 in relation to online gaming for public consultation.

The draft is prepared to ensure that online games are offered in conformity with Indian laws and that the users of such games be safeguarded against potential harm.

The draft proposed a self-regulatory mechanism which, in future, may also regulate the content of online gaming and ensure that the games do not have violent, addictive or sexual content.

Currently, the age gating is 18 years and the government would like to keep it that way and see if the present framework works to expand the innovation ecosystem around online gaming while keeping it safe and trusted for users.

The Minister also announced another initiative i.e., the setting up of a state-of-the-art facility under the National Institute of Electronics and IT (NIELIT) to provide training on cutting edge Digital Skills at Shillong for which A 10-acre campus shall soon be ready to cater to the skilling requirement of youth in the North East Region.

The Minister further informed that the Government is Re-launching Skill India through PMKVY 4.0.

"This shall train around 50,000 youth in Meghalaya in future ready skills with Industry backed Job Opportunities," an official press release stated.

“PM Narendra Modi is building New India with re-imagined ambitions and aspirations for the young Indians. There are multiple opportunities available today and therefore skills become important to take advantage of these opportunities. Skills are the new Passport to Prosperity”, he added.

As far as other states in the North East Region are concerned; the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship under PMKVY4.0 has set a target to skill around 60,000 youth in Tripura and 35,000 in Nagaland across a spectrum of approved courses, the release further stated.

Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar announced these initiatives while he was on a 2-day official visit to Meghalaya.