Indian Films have International Potential : Shri Venkaiah Naidu
Mumbai, June 6, 2017 : Government of India would provide all necessary support to the growth of Film Industry in all scope and ambit to ensure its robust growth. This was stated by Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Shri Venkaiah Naidu . He was speaking today at the last leg of consultation with stake holders on Cinematography Act in Mumbai Today. Shri Naidu said that Indian Films have international potential and are the most potent medium of spreading India’s Culture globally .He said that the Government is geared up to address all the challenges faced by the sector .
The participants were of the opinion that the Government should implement the new recommendations of the of committee of experts chaired by Shri Shyam Benegal at the earliest. The Minister assured that Government of India was also in agreement with most of the recommendations of the report and all efforts would by I&B Ministry to facilitate the Amendments . The Amendments would be in tune with technical and other realities of film production and modern times .
The consultation with stake holders on Cinematography Act , which was convened by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry was attended by Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis , Secretary ,Ministry Of Information & Broadcasting Shri Ajay Mittal, eminent captains of film industry , representatives of Film producers guild , Senior officials of Government and other stake holders
Representatives of the film industry informed the Minister about the various challenges to the survival and Growth of the sector and requested the Government to reduce the proposed GST in Film Sector from 28% to 18% and also assist the industry in significantly increasing the number of Screens in the country to boost revenue .
Shri Venkaiah Naidu informed that decisions regarding GST rate etc are decided by the GST Council and assured that the demands of the film Sector would be presented before the GST council. He also requested that State Governments too should dwell on the subject and make appropriate representation before the GST council.
As far as the issue of increasing the number of screens is concerned, he said State governments should ensure the setting up of single window clearances and weed out unnecessary rules to simplify the process of seeking licenses for the screen. A simpler and easy process of licensing would encourage not only more people to invest in the sector but would also incentivize many to upgrade the existing old screens to modern new screens and create better viewing experiences for all , which in turn would bring more people to halls and boost revenue. .This enabling provision would lead to higher screen density in the country. As far as the State of Maharashtra is concerned, Chief Minster Shri Devendra Fadnavis assured his State would quickly set up a mechanism to ensure that such issues are resolved at the earliest.
Shri Venkaiah Naidu said that Government of India would consult all the state governments on good film Sector management practices and create templates for others to follow. Speaking about the issue of dealing with Film Piracy , the Minister said that Government would discuss the subject with Ministries and departments dealing with Communications , Information Technology , Corporate Affairs , Industrial Policy and Productions etc to ensure that a comprehensive mechanism is developed which is in sync with the provisions of Copyright Act, IT Act, and on going technical advancements in the field.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Ajay Mittal, Secretary Ministry of I&B said that Government would leave no stone unturned in resolving the issues of film sector in every possible manner and that Government of India was committed to vibrant growth of the film sector.
