AMAZON India and the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry on Wednesday announced they signed a pact to boost India’s creative economy. As part of the letter of engagement (LoE), Amazon and the ministry will help build pathways to promote creative talent in India, create capacity across eminent film and TV institutes, and globally showcase Made in India creative content.

The LoE was signed at The National Media Centre here in presence of I&B Minister Anurag Thakur; Chetan Krishnaswamy, Vice President, Public Policy at Amazon India; and Gaurav Gandhi, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Prime Video. According to a press release issued by the company, Prime Video and miniTV will both work towards providing internships, and scholarships to students at Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTII). To further the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ initiative, content from National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), national broadcaster Doordarshan, and International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will be showcased on Prime Video and miniTV. The I&B minister said the partnership with Amazon India is unique on a number of counts and the Letter of Engagement spans across various aspects of the creative industry.

“The partnership would help to strengthen industry-academia linkages through provisions for scholarships, internships, masterclasses, and other opportunities for students at Film and Television Institute of India and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute of India, and help to reduce the period of struggle for the talented artists coming out of prestigious film institutes of India,” Thakur said in the statement.

“As we celebrate Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, this milestone Letter of Engagement with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, strengthens our commitment to globally promote and showcase India’s creative talent and stories through our multiple services such as Prime Video, miniTV, Amazon Music, Alexa, IMDb, and our marketplace business,” added Krishnaswamy.