The Uttar Pradesh government will set up a Film City and also organise Bhojpuri Film Festival to promote film production in the state. The government will also provide tax relief for revival of 700 single screen cinema halls lying closed across the state for the last several years.
“The BJP government is committed to promoting film industry in the state. There is huge potential for film production here and the industry could also make significant contribution to the state exchequer,’’ said Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, who also holds the Entertainment Tax portfolio.
Maurya said that in the first six months of the current fiscal, Entertainment Tax has earned Rs 187 crore in the first six months which was 121 per cent higher during the corresponding period in the last fiscal.
The Deputy CM said that the government has moved a proposal to promote construction of multiplexes in the cities where there is none, while closed down cinema halls would be reopened. He said that there were no multiplex in 58 of the 75 districts and the government has so far received proposals for new multiplexes in 10 districts.
Maurya said that 700 single screen cine-theatres were lying closed across the state for last several years and efforts were being being to reopen these halls.
“So far, proposals from 25 cinema hall owners have been received by the government for reopening. For the 700 closed cinema halls, the government has proposed to provide subsidy ranging between 50 to 100 percent in GST for the next five years,” he said.
The minister said that Entertainment Tax department will be merged with the new GST department soon and the employees would be adjusted in different government departments.
Meanwhile, Maurya who is also the minister of Public Enterprises department, said that the government has implemented the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations in 10 of the 40 PSUs, including UP Power Corporation limited (UPPCl). He said that 24 loss making corporations have closed down.