Actor and Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan on Wednesday hit out at the Centre over the Union Budget 2024, claiming that its had nothing to offer to the film industry.
Talking to The Hindkesharioutside the Parliament, the Samajwadi Party leader said that Budget did not offer anything to the film industry. “Actors, all actors. Hum logon ke liye kuch bhi nahi hai. Humari industry ke liye kuch nahi hai. (There is nothing in the Budget for us. There’s nothing for our industry.) Nothing for the country,” she said.
For 2024-25, the government has allocated Rs 4,342 crore to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
A total of Rs 36.93 crore was allocated for Art and Culture as compared Rs 45 crore allocated last year.
The Film and Television Institute of India, Pune (FTII) was given Rs 73.47 last year and has been allocated Rs 87.11 crore in this budget. The Satyajit Ray Film and Television
Institute(SRFTI) in Kolkata will recieve Rs 81 crore while Childrens Films Society of India’s budget has been tripled since last year to Rs 6 crore.
Rs 23 crore has been allocated to the National Film Development Corporation.
Ahead of the budget, many in the media and entertainment sector had demanded to lower entertainment tax levied on movie tickets. The high taxes have turned away movie goers affecting the bottom line for filmmakers, producers and distributors.