Information and Broadcasting Ministry Secretary Sanjay Jaju visited the premises of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) in Mumbai and held a meeting with wide ranging stakeholders of the film industry, including industry associations and studios.
Speaking on the occasion at the meeting held on Wednesday, Jaju said that the film industry is a huge economic multiplier for the country and assured the film industry associations that the MIB will function to facilitate growth and betterment of the entertainment industry and become an enabler for entertainment business in the country.
According to an official statement put out by MIB, Jaju urged the stakeholders to come up with initiatives that will be beneficial to the entertainment industry.
The MIB Secretary invited the stakeholders to share their concerns and grievances so that the government and stakeholders can work together to address the concerns and work for the progress of the entertainment industry.
In this connection, the statement added, the Secretary said that the industry also has to face global competition and technological disruptions taking place in the world, urging the film industry stakeholders to think about how to make better use of the NFDC infrastructure and facilities.
The industry stakeholders while stating their concerns listed issues like need for institutional financing, capitalization and infrastructure, single window system for shooting permissions and clearances in all States, creating awareness about film piracy, shorter turnaround time for subsidies, better incentives for attracting FDIs, delays in certification and faster clearance of promotional content.
The representatives of Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association, The Film & Television Producers Guild of India, T-Series, Yashraj Films, Jio Studios, Warner Brothers’ Pictures, Disney Star, PVR Inox Pictures, Viacom 18 Studio, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures attended the meeting with Jaju, amongst others, which included other government officials.
Jaju assured that more meetings will be held in the future to address the entertainment industry’s concerns.