Producers Guild of India welcomes Union Budget 2019 provisions for film industry

The Producers Guild of India has welcomed the central government's announcement of single-window clearance for Indian filmmakers to shoot their films – a provision that was earlier available only to international filmmakers. Finance Minister Piyush Goyal, while presenting the Interim Budget on Friday, also announced the introduction of anti-camcording provisions to control the menace of privacy, following which the House erupted into cheers of “How’s the Josh”. Welcoming the move, Producers Guild of India president Sidharth Roy Kapur in a statement said, "We are delighted that the immense contribution of Indian cinema towards employment generation in the country has been acknowledged and applauded in Parliament during the presentation of the Union Budget.” He further added, “The announcement of a single-window clearance mechanism for Indian film makers filming within India is a significant step and has the potential to play a huge role in boosting tourism in the country. The amendments in the Anti Camcording provisions will support the industry’s growth by curtailing illegal recordings of films in cinema halls and will go a long way towards reducing piracy.” The single-window clearance is a trade facilitation idea that enabled international traders to submit regulatory documents at a single location and a single entity. The single-window clearance increases efficiency through time and cost savings for the filmmakers in dealing with government authorities for obtaining relevant clearance before starting with any shoot.