Jaya Bachchan, an actor and Rajya Sabha MP, attacked the Centre on Wednesday, saying the Union Budget 2024 offered nothing to the film industry.
Speaking to NDTV outside Parliament, the leader of the Samajwadi Party stated that the film industry received no benefits from the Budget. “Actors—all of them. Merely logon ke liye bhi nahi hai. The industry in general is not very strong. (The budget contains nothing for us. Nothing exists for our sector.) Not a thing for the nation,” she remarked.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has been given ₹ 4,342 crore by the government for the fiscal year 2024–25.
Compared to the ₹ 45 crore allotted last year, a total of ₹ 36.93 crore was set aside for art and culture.
The budget for the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune (FTII) is ₹ 87.11 crore, compared to ₹ 73.47 last year. The Childrens Films Society of India has tripled its budget from the previous year to ₹ 6 crore, while the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata will receive ₹ 81 crore.
The National Film Development Corporation has been given ₹ 23 crore.
Many in the media and entertainment industry had called for a reduction in the entertainment tax imposed on movie tickets prior to the budget. The moviegoers’ decision to forego the high taxes has a negative impact on the earnings of producers, distributors, and filmmakers.
