Group insurance for people ininvolved with film industry soon: Harish Rawat

DEHJRADUN: Chief minister Harish Rawat said that the Uttarakhand government will soon launch a group insurance cover scheme for actors and those involved in the film industry in the hill state. CM Rawat said that to rebuild and revive old movie halls that are lying closed in hill areas and give them a new leash of life, the state government will offer incentives, in the form of tax relaxation.The CM said his government will urge certain engineering colleges and polytechnics to introduce courses in film-making so that youths of the state can get technical training in this field. Briefing media persons after the meeting, the CM pointed out that a department on cinema studies would be started at the upcoming state government university in Almora.Addressing the first meeting of the newly-constituted Uttarakhand Film Development Council late on Wednesday night at Beejapur House, the CM said the state government will formulate a policy to promote regional films. Rawat's announcements comes a week after TV actor Hemant Pandey formally took over charge as vice-president of the film body.The CM said he has directed top officials to chalk out modalities of the proposed group insurance cover scheme. He said it will provide financial security to people in the film industry and their next of kin in the event of any unforeseen event. "There are a number of heritage cinema halls in the state capital which earlier used to be centres of attraction. But with the passage of time, these have become defunct and are lying in a shambles. These theatre halls must be revived," said 70-year-old film critic based in Dehradun.A cross section of cinema-goers and members of entertainment industries in the state have welcomed the state government's initiatives to introduce group insurance cover scheme for the welfare of actors and others in the film industry. "This is a good idea," said a cinema goer, Ravindra Uniyal.