Govt would like to have light-touch regulation & act more as facilitator: Apurva Chandra
I&B Secretary Chandra also announced the expansion of the scope of projection of India’s M&E story abroad
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) Secretary Apurva Chandra has said that the government would like to adopt a light touch regulatory approach for the media & entertainment (M&E) sector. Speaking in the inaugural session of the 10th edition of the CII Big Picture Summit, Chandra said that the government would like to act as a facilitator and highlighted the steps taken by the ministry to improve the ease of doing business in M&E sector.
"We would like to have a light-touch regulation and act more as facilitators. Although, many of you feel that the government is highly regulatory. Despite that, the industry is showing huge growth in the last 10-20 years and based on industry projections we are set to reach USD 100 billion soon," he added.
The secretary also announced expansion of the scope of projection of India’s M&E story abroad. He further stated that the creation of a Broadcast Seva Portal provides a single point facility to various stakeholders providing an efficient and transparent regime for the Broadcast Sector.
He stated that the government is also working towards creating a National Centre of Excellence for AVGC and the Film Facilitation Office is working to help with theatre opening approvals. In addition to participation in all major international film festivals, India will also participate in international festivals in animation, gaming and visual effects from 2022 onwards, said Chandra, while acknowledging the rising stakes of the AVGC sector in media and entertainment industry.
The Indian Media & Entertainment industry is transforming into a key driver of economic growth both domestically and internationally, while simultaneously employing a significant portion of the population and has transformed into a focal point of the Indian economy.
While noting that the last 18 months have been very trying due to the pandemic, Chandra said that the content consumption shot through the roof during the lockdown. "In the last 1.5 years, the quality of content has greatly improved, people have realised that quality is king, and it is quality which will sell," he stated.
He also said that the demand for good content is giving rise to job opportunities in the entertainment business. "There is good enough content being created in the country and opportunities are now available across the board. Lot of people who were not finding opportunity earlies are finding opportunity now in this new scenario. Strong appetite for content is leading to a lot of job opportunities from actors to production to cinematographers."
The MIB secretary also disclosed that he has held several rounds of discussions with M&E stakeholders and is open to more such interactions in the future.
