Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday to launch the Netflix India Storytelling Initiative, a multi-phase scheme aimed at investing in the country's creative talent pipeline. The move builds on more than a decade of collaboration between Netflix and India's creative community and is intended to prepare emerging talent for careers in animation, visual effects, gaming and comics, sectors Netflix links to India's growing "Orange Economy" and the government's "Viksit Bharat @ 2047" ambitions.

The first phase focuses on youth skilling through two new partnerships: Netflix will work with the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies to co-develop curricula and fund 100 scholarships for courses including character animation, comics and esports management, while a separate tie-up with the National Film Development Corporation will train audio description writers and voice talent to improve accessibility for visually and hearing-impaired audiences. Netflix, which has produced more than 200 originals shot at over 100 Indian locations, cited series such as "Operation Safed Sagar" as evidence of the scale Indian creative talent can achieve globally.