Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry Anurag Thakur pronounces India as a land of storytellers, in the wake of the Cinematography Bill being passed in the Rajya Sabha.The bill proposed to amend the Cinematograph Act of 1952 was passed by a voice vote following a brief discussion. While the opposition staged a walkout over its demand for a discussion on the Manipur issue.
A new draft of ammendments was devised in consultation with the industry stakeholders after the previous bill got withdrawn.The Cinematograph Amendment Bill primarily aims at curbing piracy and simplifying licensing procedures. The Bill prohibits piracy and proposes a maximum three-year jail term and a fine upto five percent of the production cost of a film to those found guilty. The section (66A) governing piracy would also prohibt recording of the film or any part thereof with the sole purpose of using the recording in the same device. The reason stated for introducing these particulars, by I&B Minister Anurag Thakur, was to end the Rs 20,000 crore loses incurred by the film industry due to piracy.
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It also proposes to allow the Central Board Of Film Certification to do away with the present 10-year validity period and grant certificates to films with perpetual validity. The bill also intends to introduce three age based certifications as a subcategory to the 'UA' certifiate, namely 'UA 7+', 'UA 13+' and 'UA 16+' and also to authorize the CBFC to sanction a film with a separate certificate for its broadcast on television or any other media.
The I&B Minister also expressed the Government's intention to open institutes for animation, visual effects, gamings and comics sector to provide skilled labour to the fast-growing field.
