Grant of permissions to TV channels to be streamlined: Venkaiah Naidu

M Venkaiah Naidu, Minister for Information & Broadcasting, has assured the representatives of the Media and Entertainment (M&E) sector that all their concerns/ issues would be resolved by the Government in a time bound manner. Considering the growth prospects of the Indian M&E industry for the economy, he assured that the concerns of the industry regarding new tax rates in the GST structure would be conveyed to the Finance Minister. Naidu mentioned this while addressing the CEOs Round Table Meeting organised by FICCI in Delhi.

On the issue of grant of permissions to TV channels, the Minister said that the Ministry had taken the initiative to streamline the processes and procedures in the broadcasting sector. He also mentioned about the E-Auction of the Second Batch of Private FM Radio Phase III Channels commenced a week ago. 266 FM Channels in 92 cities comprising 227 channels in 69 fresh cities and 39 unsold channels from 23 cities of batch one of Phase III had been put on auction in the second batch.

In his remarks, Naidu said that a comprehensive review of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 including Copyright and IPR Protection issues, was under consideration in the light of the reports submitted by Mukul Mudgal and Shyam Benegal. It was imperative to believe in “responsible creativity”, where in the censor rules and regulations could be weaved into social norms which affected the social fabric of the nation.

On the issue of Improving Screen Density in India, the Minister said that the reach of cinema was limited to a small segment and thus, provided an immense opportunity for the film industry to tap the regional markets and cater to the needs of consumers by developing content in local and regional languages. He assured that the issue has been taken up with the Multiplex Association of India to formulate Model Rules for building and operating cinema halls, which once received would be shared and discussed with all the State Governments in the coming State Information Minister’s Conference scheduled in December. The State Governments would be requested to look into the matter and ease out the process in order to increase screen density throughout the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Naidu said that the Government of India had taken up the Custom’s Single Window Project for Implementation as part of promoting “Ease of Doing Business”. He also mentioned that The Cabinet has approved the Model Shops and Establishment Act, aimed at generating employment prospects by allowing cinema halls, restaurants, shops, banks and other such workplaces to remain open round the clock.

Adding further, the Minister said that the Government was planning to set up a National Centre of Excellence for Media, which would provide training to the industry professionals. The Ministry was also in the process to set up a Film Promotion Fund to support movies, including Bollywood and regional films, for participation in foreign film festivals. The audio-visual co-production agreements signed by the Government would help film industry to explore more resources and share best practices. He mentioned that the Cabinet has recently given approval to the agreement between India and Republic of Korea.

Naidu in his concluding remarks said that the Government was committed to co-operate with all the stakeholders in all ways to make India a world market leader in the field of media & entertainment. Secretary I&B, Ajay Mittal, and senior officers of the Ministry were also present during the meeting.