India’s Esports Decade: From Players to Global Powerhouse
It was a pleasure to be part of FICCI FRAMES 2026 as a speaker, where India’s media, entertainment, technology, and creative industries came together to shape the future of the sector.
Esports sits at the exciting intersection of technology, entertainment, sports, and youth culture. India’s next decade must create greater opportunities for players, teams, creators, developers, broadcasters, and entrepreneurs, while fostering original gaming IP and building stronger pathways to global competition.
The occasion brought together prominent voices from India’s gaming, esports, creative and entrepreneurial ecosystem, including:
- Adv. Ashish Shelar — Hon’ble Minister of Information Technology & Cultural Affairs, Government of Maharashtra, and President, Esports Games Federation (ESGF)
- Adv. Nandan Jha — Founder & Director of ESGF, Chairman, Interactive Forum on Indian Economy (IFIE); Founder & Secretary General, Gandhi Mandela Foundation
- Ashish Kulkarni — Founder, Punnaryug Artvision Pvt. Ltd.; Chairman, AVGC Forum, FICCI; Member, AVGC Task Force constituted by the Government of India
- Gautam Virk — Co-founder & CEO, NODWIN Gaming
Shaping India’s Next Technology Frontier 🇮🇳
At the 10th India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026, Adv. Ashish Shelar, President, Esports Games Federation (ESGF), participated in the State IT Ministers and IT Secretaries Roundtable with Hon’ble Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia Ji and senior officials from the Department of Telecommunications.
As esports continues to evolve at the intersection of technology, digital infrastructure and youth innovation, ESGF remains committed to contributing to India’s vision of becoming a global technology and esports powerhouse.