The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi presented the first-ever National Creators Award today at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. He also had a brief interaction with the winners. The National Creators Award is an effort to recognize excellence and impact across domains, including storytelling, social change advocacy, environmental sustainability, education, and gaming among others. The award is envisioned as a launchpad for using creativity to drive positive change.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister noted the venue of Bharat Mandapam chosen for the occasion and said that the National Creators have assembled on the same spot today where world leaders gave direction to the future at the G20 Summit. 

The Prime Minister underlined that it is the country’s responsibility to walk side by side with the change of times and the advent of a new era and said that the nation is fulfilling that responsibility today with the first-ever National Creator Awards. “National Creator Awards is giving identity to the new era before its onset”, the Prime Minister remarked, highlighting the prowess to analyze the future beforehand. He expressed confidence that the National Creator Awards will establish a strong influence in the times to come by energizing the new era and respecting the creativity of the youth and the sensitivity towards the aspects of daily life. In the future, the Prime Minister said, National Creator Awards will become a huge source of inspiration for content creators and create an identity for their work. The Prime Minister congratulated the winners of the awards and also acknowledged the active participation of the contestants in a very short time. “The association of more than 2 lakh creative minds for the event is creating an identity for the nation itself”, he emphasized. 

Noting that the first-ever National Creator Awards is taking place on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri, the Prime Minister said that Lord Shiva is hailed as the creator of language, art and creativity. “Our Shiv is Natraj, his dumroo produces Maheshwar Sutra, his Taandav lays the foundation for rhythm and creation”, the Prime Minister said, as he conveyed his best wishes to everyone on Maha Shivratri.

The Prime Minister also noted the occasion of International Women’s Day today and congratulated the women who bagged the awards. He expressed pride in the participation of women in the creative field of India. He conveyed his best wishes to all the women on the occasion and also informed about the decision to reduce gas cylinder prices by Rs 100 drawing huge applause from those present.

Highlighting the impact of a multiplier effect of one scheme or policy on the development journey of the nation, the Prime Minister mentioned the data revolution in the last 10 years and the availability of low-cost data. He credited the Digital India campaign for the formation of a new world for content creators and lauded the efforts of the youth in this direction. “Youth with their positive actions have urged the government to look towards content creators”, the Prime Minister said congratulating them and crediting them for the inception of such awards.

The Prime Minister pointed out that no creator has ever engaged in a course for content creation as none existed and dwelled upon their journey from academics to content creation. “You are the writer, director, producer and editor of your own projects”, PM Modi emphasized noting the collective capability of such talent. “You forged an idea, innovated and gave it a life form on the screen. You have not only introduced the world to your capabilities but have also shown them the world”, the Prime Minister said, lauding the courage and determination of the content creators. He acknowledged the impact of the content all around India and said, “You are the MVPs of the internet.”

The Prime Minister stated that the collaboration of content and creativity grows engagement, collaboration of content and digital brings transformation, and collaboration of content with purpose shows impact. Shri Modi requested the content creators to bring inspiration through content and recalled raising the issue of disrespect towards women from the Red Fort. He urged them to forward the spirit of equality among parents while raising boys and girls. He laid down the approach for content creators to associate with society and take this attitude to every household. He urged content creators to showcase the capabilities of Nari Shakti of India and gave ideas of a mother conducting her daily tasks and women from rural and tribal areas engaging in economic activity. “Content creation can help in rectifying incorrect perceptions”, the Prime Minister said.

Underlining that the Swachh Bharat campaign is a never-ending endeavor, the Prime Minister mentioned a recent video of a tiger picking up a plastic bottle and urged the content creators to continue working in this direction. He suggested creating more awareness on serious issues of mental health and stress among children and also focusing on content creation in local languages. The Prime Minister also praised a short movie on the issue that he watched around 15 years ago. Prime Minister Modi also touched upon Pariksha Pe Charcha program where he gets the chance to connect with children to hear them out before exams. Shri Modi recommended creating content that highlights the negative effects of drugs on the youth and said, “We must say - Drugs are not cool”, he added.

The Prime Minister drew attention to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and expressed confidence in meeting the content creators next year as well.  “This is not Modi’s guarantee, but the guarantee of 140 crore citizens of India”, PM Modi said. He urged them to create awareness among the youth and first-time voters in the country to instill the feeling that voting is not carried out to declare winners and losers in an election but to become a part of the decision-making process that crafts the future of such a massive country. He noted that even though many nations became prosperous in different ways, they eventually opted for democracy. “India has taken the resolve to become a developed nation by taking pride in hundred percent democracy”, the Prime Minister said. He laid down the expectations from the youth and their contribution to making India a model for the world and also emphasized the need to bring out the inherent strength of the disabled people of India with the power of social media.

Throwing light on India’s growing influence in the world, the Prime Minister spoke about the power of the Tricolour that was witnessed during the evacuation of students from Ukraine. Even though the atmosphere and feeling of the world towards India has changed, the Prime Minister stressed giving more emphasis on transforming the country’s image. PM Modi recalled his interaction with a computer engineer working as an interpreter for the government of the invitee nation during one of his foreign visits who asked him about India being the land of snake charmers and witchcraft. The Prime Minister explained that even though India was extremely powerful in those days, its power has now been centered to a computer mouse that shapes the direction of the world. 

“You are the digital ambassadors of India all over the world. You are the brand ambassadors of Vocal for Local”, PM Modi remarked. He recalled his visit to Srinagar yesterday and mentioned his interaction with a beekeeping entrepreneur who created a global brand with the power of Digital India. 

The Prime Minister exhorted, “Come, let us start a Create on India Movement. Let us share India’s stories, culture, heritage and traditions with the whole world. Let us Create on India and Create for the World.” He urged them to engage the global audience to create content that not only makes for maximum likes for the creator but also the country. Noting the curiosity of the world towards India, the Prime Minister urged content creators to develop work in UN languages such as German, French, Spanish etc to amplify their reach. Shri Modi recalled his latest interaction with Bill Gates about AI and informed about the Cabinet’s approval for the IndiaAI Mission. Crediting the youth of India and its talent, the Prime Minister touched upon the Semiconductor Mission and expressed confidence that India will lead the way similar to the adoption of 5G technology. He also stressed making use of languages prevailing in neighboring nations to enhance relationships. The Prime Minister informed the gathering about the use of AI to translate his ongoing speech in different languages in a short time and sourcing photographs from NaMo app. 

The Prime Minister underlined that the potential of content creators can take India's branding to a new height at the national and international levels. He  highlighted the power of creativity and gave the example of visualizing excavated artefacts that have the potential to take the viewer back to the same era to experience it.  Concluding the address, the Prime Minister acknowledged India’s power of creativity to become a catalytic agent for its development. He congratulated everyone on the occasion and also hailed the efforts of the jury who went through more than 2 lakh applicants in a short time. 

Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw was present on the occasion among others. 

Background

The National Creator Award has witnessed exemplary public engagement. In the first round, more than 1.5 lakh nominations across 20 different categories were received. Subsequently, in the voting round, about 10 lakh votes were cast for digital creators in various award categories. Following this, 23 winners, including three international creators, were decided. This overwhelming public engagement is testimony that the award truly reflects the people's choice.

The award is being provided across twenty categories including the Best Storyteller Award; The Disruptor of the Year; Celebrity Creator of the Year; Green Champion Award; Best Creator For Social Change; Most Impactful Agri Creator; Cultural Ambassador of The Year; International Creator award; Best Travel Creator Award; Swachhta Ambassador Award; The New India Champion Award; Tech Creator Award; Heritage Fashion Icon Award; Most Creative Creator (Male & Female); Best Creator in Food Category; Best Creator in Education Category; Best Creator in Gaming Category; Best Micro Creator; Best Nano Creator; Best Health and Fitness Creator.

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