The film industry has welcomed the key initiatives announced by the government for the films sector in the Interim Budget 2019-20. Thanking the government for the initiatives, Siddharth Roy Kapur, President of Producers Guild of India, said the Budget has “acknowledged the contribution of Indian cinema towards employment generation in the country”. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had interacted with members of the film industry.
Union Finance Minister Piyush Goel declared that the provision of single window clearance system for ease of shooting films, hitherto available only to foreigners, will now be made available to Indian filmmakers as well. The regulatory provisions will rely more on self-regulation.
Goel also announced that the Government will introduce anti-camcording provisions in the Cinematograph Act to control the menace of piracy.
The entertainment industry has appreciated the announcement of single window clearance system as a significant step with a potential to play a role in boosting tourism, while stating that anti-camcording measures will assist in the industry’s growth. The industry also expressed its delight at the acknowledgement by the Finance Minister of its contribution towards employment generation.
“The announcement of a single-window clearance mechanism for Indian filmmakers filming within India is a significant step and has the potential to play a huge role in boosting tourism in the country. The amendments in the Anti-Camcording provisions will support the industry’s growth by curtailing illegal recordings of films in cinema halls and will go a long way towards reducing piracy,” said Kapur, in a statement.
Earlier, the government had reduced the GST rate on cinema tickets costing over Rs 100 to 18% from 28%. For the cheaper tickets, the rate has been reduced to 12% from 18%. This is a huge relief for the industry.
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