BHUBANESWAR : The State Government will be unveiling a new policy for media and entertainment industry in next two months.Speaking at the second edition of Make-in-Odisha Conclave on Thursday, Industries Minister Ananta Das said the State Government has readied the draft film policy with the help of FICCI. “A consultative workshop with stakeholders will be organised next month for seeking feedback before finalising the policy. It will be a significant development in taking Odia film industry to the next level,” he said.
Das said a ministerial committee, headed by Finance Minister Shashi Bhusan Behera, has been constituted by the State Government to develop cinema industry. All the stakeholders will be consulted and their suggestions will be incorporated in the policy, he added.Two panel discussions on ‘Vision 2020 - laying a transformative roadmap for broadcasting in Odisha’ and ‘business of film-making and how the regulatory hurdles can be removed to build a robust ecosystem for creative industries’ were organised.
Industries Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said developed infrastructure, marketing and a dedicated policy for cinema industry will help the sector flourish in the State.“The talent for media and entertainment industry is available but the required infrastructure needs to be developed. Tourism sector will also get a fillip by showcasing Odisha’s scenic locations to the tourists through the medium of cinema. We also need to work on the quality of cinema,” he said.
Chopra informed Carnival Cinemas has evinced interest to set up multiplex in all district headquarters across the State. It has been decided that multiplex operators will be able to acquire land at concessional rates on par with other industries, he added.
Carnival has signed an MoU with Odisha Government, which will provide one acre to 1.5 acre of land in each of 30 districts to build zones with two-three screen multiplexes, food courts and some retail outfits.
The fastest growing and one of the largest multiplex chains in the country, it is spread across 120 cities with over 470 operational screens.Among others, Chairman of Odisha Film Development Corporation Satyabrata Tripathy, CEO of Broadcast Audience Research Council Partho Dasgupta and MD of Sambad Group Monica Nayyar Patnaik also spoke.