Sushma Worried Over Video Piracy

Information and broadcasting Sushma Swaraj yesterday said the government is deeply concerned with the problem of video piracy which is a threat to the film industry.

Swaraj said that while making institutional funding available to the films, efforts would be made to ensure that the finances are utilised for the earmarked purposes only.

The minister said that the I&B ministry is in touch with the HRD ministry on the copyrights issue since violation of the Copyright Act comes under the purview of the latter. The I&B ministry also proposes to take up the issue in the forthcoming meet of state information ministers in September.

Addressing the consultative committee of parliament attached to the I&B ministry, Swaraj said that she has written to all the chief ministers to look into the feasibility of bringing the subject of cinema from state list to the concurrent list so that some measure of uniformity and co-ordination in respect of legislation, taxes, etc. could be achieved.

Talking about the necessity of granting industry status to the film sector, Swaraj pointed out to the parliamentary panel members that the primary reason for granting industry status to the film industry was to make this sector eligible for institutional and bank finance in the area of film production, purchase of equipment, construction of theatres and setting up studios.

She further informed the panel members that the government has constituted a Film development Council, an Export Promotion Council and ad advisory group to consider various issues pertaining to the film industry.

Minister of state for I&B, MA Naqvi, on the occasion, said that the government was deeply concerned about the vulgarity being portrayed in the picturisation of Hindi film songs. The consultative panel members also expressed their concern about the growing portrayal of vulgarity in films.

One of the panel members desired that films should be representative of India and portray the culture and heritage.

Another member expressed the need for more film training institutes to which Swaraj agreed and said that efforts would be made to strengthen the existing institutes.