Delivering the valedictory address at the FICCI FRAMES 2010 in Mumbai, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Smt. Ambika Soni said that the government was going to establish a National Centre for Animation and Gaming with a view to give boost to this segment of the M&E industry, which had a very high potential. She said that an initial budget of INR 52 crore has already been allotted to it. The Union Minister said that a budget of INR 660 crore has been allotted for the National Heritage Mission, which would undertake celebrations of the 100th year of Indian Cinema in 2013. She said that Museum of Indian Cinema, which was coming up in Mumbai, would be completed in three years and that the consultants for the same have already appointed.
Smt. Ambika Soni, Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting delivering Vision address at valedictory session of "FREMES-2010" organized by FICC I in Mumbai on 18 March 2010.
Announcing her resolve to fight piracy, the Union Information & Broadcasting minister said, that the government was waiting for the report of the task force formed to suggest measures for fighting the menace of piracy. The task force, which was constituted in December 2009, is expected to submit its recommendations in six months time. Arguing that digitization was the way forward for containing piracy, she said that the government was trying to incentivize digitization through either exemption or low duty structure for equipment used for digitization process. The Union Minister also said that her ministry had finalized changes to the Cinematograph Act, 1952, which included among others making some tough provisions against piracy.
Highlighting the efforts of the government, Smt. Soni said that the committee of State Ministers was looking at the issue of reducing the entertainment tax, which was as high as 40% in some states. The Union Minister also said that the central government was pursuing with various states enactment of Goonda Act so that those who worked hard got the wages of their hard work and not others. The Information & Broadcasting Minister also vowed to fight the forces, which imposed their own version of censorship on the film industry. Smt Soni praised the media & entertainment industry in supporting the growth of the Indian economy through growth of 7.2% in the recession year, when the GDP growth plunged from nearly 10% to around 6% mark.
She also said that the service tax on the entertainment industry was unfair. She said once the value-added-tax (VAT) was imposed on the inputs, one could not impose service tax on the output as this amounted to double taxation. She assured the industry that as in case of the tourism sector, she would try to get the industry the required relief on this account.
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