|
Global
convention
Speaking
to the media on the sidelines of the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Frames 2009, the
10th edition of the global convention on business of
entertainment, Mr. Sharma said, “We will consider the
entertainment industry’s demand, articulated by FICCI,
for inclusion of entertainment tax in GST itself, so that
there is single tax on the industry.”
Mr.
Sharma said, a regulatory framework from the technology
point of view, like the one for the telecom industry, was
under discussion and a decision was expected soon.
Responding
to the observations by FICCI President Harsh Pati
Singhania, Mr. Sharma said, the Government was prepared to
consider the further requirements of the industry to
weather the adverse fallout of the global economic crisis.
The Government, he said, had increased the DAVP
(Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity)
advertisement rates by 24 per cent to give relief to the
media industry in view of the recent increase in newsprint
rates and recently the customs duty on imported newsprint
has been lowered. “We are still open and are willing to
come out with a new relief package to provide stimulus to
the industry,” Mr. Sharma said . The Minister said,
“We want to create an environment that is welcoming to
those who want to do business with and in India through
joint ventures and collaborations. While there is full
freedom to make any type of films in the country, the
industry has a responsibility in ensuring that the larger
interests of the society are addressed.”
Sushma
Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting, said the Government was working on devising
a suitable regulatory framework for digitisation of cable
services. “This is a key factor in getting rid of
problems such as under-declaration of subscribers and the
practice of carriage fee being charged by cable operators,
particularly in TRP (Television Rating Point) cities,”
she added.
She
said, another policy intervention being considered by the
government was the prescription of a time period of five
years within which the existing and new MSOs (multi-system
operators) and LCOs (local cable operators) will have to
digitise with some incentivisation from the licence fee as
also support from the USO Fund for setting up two-way
cable networks for providing broadband services in rural
areas.
Beyond
the five-year period, no new licence for cable operation
will be given for analog services.
The
Ministry of I & B, the Secretary said, was also
working on extending the CAS (Conditional Access System)
area first to the remaining parts of Delhi, Mumbai and
Kolkata and then to the 55 cities as suggested by the
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) group.
Source
: Hindu - Chennai, India, dated 18/02/2009
|
