“Gems of India” – A National Initiative for Promoting Emerging Digital Creators and Showcasing District Heritage

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has conceived “Gems of India”, a national initiative to identify, encourage and provide a digital platform to emerging creators from every district of the country. Through authentic digital storytelling, the programme aims to showcase the unique culture, heritage, tourism, traditions, local stories, achievements and other distinctive features of India’s districts while creating a nationwide repository of locally produced digital content.

The programme will leverage MyWAVES as the citizen participation platform for submission of original digital content, while selected entries will be curated and showcased through WAVES OTT and other platforms of Prasar Bharati, providing creators with national visibility and recognition.

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The Pilot Phase is scheduled to be launched on 21st, July 2026 in Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Ladakh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, and Chandigarh. Submission of entries through the MyWAVES platform will open from 1st – 31st August 2026.
Citizens, particularly youth and emerging digital creators, will be invited to submit original digital content on themes such as local culture, heritage, tourism, traditions, handicrafts, cuisine, folk arts, oral traditions, eco-tourism and other unique aspects of their districts in formats including short videos, reels, documentaries, podcasts and other digital media formats.

To encourage participation, the programme proposes awards at the district, State and national levels, including up to 20 District Awards in each district (*50,000 each), up to one State/UT Award for each district (72 lakh), and up to four National Awards for each State/UT (75 lakh each).
The entries will be evaluated through a transparent multi-level process by District and State Jury Committees comprising eminent personalities from the fields of culture, heritage, tourism, media, academia and other relevant domains.

The support of the State Governments is solicited for effective implementation of the programme through nomination of a State Nodal Officer, coordination with District Administrations, mobilisation of creators through educational, cultural and tourism institutions, facilitation of outreach activities, and constitution of District and State Jury Committees in accordance with the programme guidelines.