from Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (GA)
Panaji, Nov 22: Union Minister of state for information and broadcasting Anand Sharma on Saturday November 22 assured the film, media and entertainment industry all the cooperation in further growth of this sector.
"Media and entertainment industry has seen exponential growth particularly in the last couple of decades because of change in technology and government will ensure that technology is accessible to everyone," Sharma said addressing 'The Big Picture' conference organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) held on the sidelines of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2008.
Chief minister Digamber Kamat, union information and broadcasting secretary Sushma Singh, state chief secretary J P Singh and other dignitaries were present on the dais.
"Government is mindful of significance of this industry and what should be done to support it," he said.
The minister said that it was union government's conscious decision to allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the film sector.
He said that India has scored over in the technologies like animation where our strength has been recognized worldwide.
The minister also announced that union ministry will allocate Rs 30 crore to national films division and Rs 20 crore to films division.
Conceding that piracy has been a biggest issue, Sharma said that government is aware about the steps to be taken to curb the piracy.
"We have laws but there requires their fair enforcement. We would like to do something which will re-assure that India is moving along to provide atmosphere which is encouraging for film making," he said.
Earlier addressing the delegates, union information and broadcasting secretary Sushma Singh said that India is planning to have coproduction treaties with the countries like China, Singapore, and South Korea while upgrading its protocol with France.
She said that the state government has already introduced the policy on Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) on September 08, 2008 and is also considering policy for mobile TV.