A committee, set up to rationalise the functioning of film media units under the I & B ministry, has found that there is a lot of overlapping of activities among the existing institutions. It has recommended that the mandate of these institutions should be divided into four verticals: production, festival, heritage and knowledge. It has also suggested the closure and merger of some units. According to the committee report, the decision-making powers of the institutions should be transferred from the hands of bureaucrats to professionals or industry leaders. The report also mentioned the setting up of a Film Promotion Fund to offer financial assistance to independent filmmakers for making commercial films.
The recommendations of the committee will need the approval of the I & B ministry before they can be implemented. The committee was headed by former I & B secretary and chief information commissioner Bimal Julka (seen in picture). The report was submitted to I & B minister Prakash Javadekar on 2nd June.