UK gets the most film friendly state award

DAINIK NATION BUREAU

In the presence of the President Ram Nath Kovind, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Smriti Zubin Irani and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has given Special Mention Certificate for Film Friendly Environment award to Uttarakhand at  Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on Thursday.

On behalf of the state, the award was received by Secretary Information Dr. Pankaj Kumar Pandey. Secretary, Information and Chief Executive Officer of Uttarakhand Film Development Council, Dr. Pandey said that with Uttarakhand receiving the prestigious award, it would further promote the shooting of the Films in the state. Film directors from country and across the globe would come to the state in large number. Under the guidance of the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Triverndra Singh Rawat, who is also the president of the Uttarakhand Film Development Council, the Film Policy of the state is being made more attractive. CM has a very clear view that film shooting in the state must be encouraged  so that it would provide employment opportunities at local level.

All efforts are being taken to ensure that through the council, the film directors get maximum facilities. CM has announced to exempt the tax on films, which are being made in Uttarakhand. This would lead to increase in trend among film directors to their films in the state. Uttarakhand Film Development Council is moving ahead in this direction. With the support of FTI, Pune, the Council would start an attractive certificate courses for the local youth in June and July 2018.

Uttarakhand has been given the award for efforts to provide conducive atmosphere for directors/producers to shoot their film in the state. Uttarakhand being a new state is also a centre of attraction for tourists for its natural beauty. Despite facing geographical challenges, the positive initiatives taken by the Uttarakhand government are being appreciated at the national level. Nominations are invited from all the states for these awards and a selection committee selects the awardees from amongst the states. Dr Pandey said that selection of Uttarakhand for the award is a matter of pride for all of us. The council was formed in 2015 and during its short span, Uttarakhand has left other states far behind to be selected for the award.

Dr Pandey said that since 2015, more than a hundred film producers had shot their feature films, TV serials, documentaries, video albums in the state and Uttarakhand Film Development Council through its single window system had given them necessary permission within seven days. Some of the big banner films were also shot in Uttarakhand which included Ajay Devgun productions ‘Shivay’, Tigmanshu Dhulia Directed ‘Raag Desh’, Telgu film ‘Brahamutsav’, Hiundi film “Shub Mangal Saavdhan’, ‘Bade Bhaiyya Ki Dulhaniya’ serial telecast on Sony television, ‘Piya Albela’ serial telecast on Zee TV, ‘Splitsvilla Session 10’ reality show telecast on MTV, Serial ‘Bepanah’ of TC, Marathi film “Furr’, Hindi film ‘ Batti Gul, Meter Challu’, Hindi film ‘ Student of the year-2’, Actor John Abraham produced film ‘Parmanu’, ‘Total Dhamaal’, ‘Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat.’ Uttarakhandi films namely “Gopi-Bhina’, ‘Buli-E-Buli’, ‘Badri- The Cloud’ and ‘Major Nirala’ were amongst the films and serials shot in Uttarakhand.