Close on the heels of the announcement by the Uttar Pradesh government to set up a state-of-the-art film city in NOIDA, the Maharashtra government on 22nd October announced that it will formulate a policy for the entertainment sector and declare rebate in shooting charges. It will also expedite the process of according industry status to the sector. This decision was taken in a meeting chaired by cultural affairs minister Amit Deshmukh yesterday (22nd).
The minister has asked the Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development Corporation Ltd. to prepare a draft of the policy which will cover all aspects dealing with various platforms like films, theatre, documentaries, serials and OTT content. Deshmukh said, there was a move to grant industry status to the film sector.
The film policy will be all-encompassing. It will consider simplification of taxation, increasing screens, fiscal incentives, changing technology, generation of skilled manpower, etc. Webinars to discuss the above points will be held between all stakeholders from November 5 to 7.
Meanwhile, the state government has already announced a rebate in shooting charges at Film City in Bombay upto 25% in the wake of the lockdown losses.