• India will host the first World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in November alongside the International Film Festival of India in Goa.

• I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant made the announcement of the first Summit to be held in Goa from November 20-24.

• The media and entertainment (M&E) sector is pegged at $27.5 billion in India and the government seeks to position WAVES as a platform to evoke ideas, fuel conversations, facilitate knowledge exchange and engage in meaningful collaborations with industry leaders from across the world.

• It also seeks to present India as a business-friendly country and an investment destination for the sector.

• Vaishnaw said the government was also exploring ways to make available low-cost funds to the media and entertainment sector with learnings from the venture capital model.

• WAVES aims to be a premier forum, fostering dialogue, trade collaboration and innovation within the evolving M&E industry landscape. 

• The Summit will convene industry leaders, stakeholders, and innovators to explore opportunities, tackle challenges, attract trade to India, and shape the sector's future.

• With a vision to position India as an unparalleled global powerhouse in the dynamic M&E landscape, WAVES aims to set new standards of creativity, innovation, and influence worldwide. 

• The mission is to empower global M&E leaders with exclusive investment opportunities through the premiere platform of WAVES.

• The summit provides avenues for job creation, skill development, economic growth, knowledge exchange, cross-cultural dialogue, collaborations with global stakeholders, and the leveraging of cutting-edge technologies to boost the entrepreneurial spirit.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)