The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee
Books published in 15 Indian languages by Publications Division to enable development of cleanliness habit amongst children. Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, Minister for Information & Broadcasting today released a set of books titled ‘Swachh Jungle ki kahani – Dadi ki Zubani’ published by Publications Division. The books aimed at sensitizing and creating awareness amongst children would provide a fillip to the Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan which has become a Jan Andolan across the nation. The set of four books written in a storytelling format by renowned children’s author Dr. Madhu Pant would convey the message in an interesting manner through the clean Jungle tales. The books contain lot of interesting and eye-catching illustrations made by young artists. The series of books had been published in 15 Indian languages and would help develop a habit of cleanliness among school going children. Children had been the best ‘medium’ to bring about behavioural change in the society and motivate their parents, relatives and friends to adopt cleanliness. Publications Division, a media unit of Ministry of I&B has been bringing out books/journals on subjects of national importance including Swachhta Abhiyaan.
Indian M&E industry on the cusp of strong phase of growth
Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu has said the Government’s initiatives like Make in India, Skill India and Digital India campaigns were clearly positive signals for new transformation including GST which would prove to be a game changer for Indian Media and Entertainment sector, especially the Broadcasting sector. The Minister stated this while inaugurating the Two Day seminar organized by Telecom Authority of India on the occasion of completing two decades here today. Elaborating further, Shri Naidu mentioned that the broadcasting sector in the country was at the
threshold of entering into new era of digital broadcasting, which would open lots of opportunities to use latest technological innovations to not only enhance reach but also enhance the quality of the reach. The revival of radio, the digitisation of cable and the free to air DTH audience growth point to the latent demand for broadcasting in the Indian market at a time when broadcasting in advanced markets in the west is losing out significant space to digital on-demand media platforms. The push towards Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) thus comes at a critical juncture as Doordarshan, the public broadcaster in India looks to expand its DTT footprint from the current 16 cities to another 44. The Minister acknowledged and appreciated TRAI’s recent recommendation on time bound implementation of DTT in India. The Minister stated that the government was committed to provide an enabling environment through various policies for the further growth of the Media and Entertainment sector. The Digital India campaign along with the Make in India campaign would strengthen the industries such as video streaming, online music services and gaming in India taking advantage of the increased internet penetration. The Minister also mentioned that indigenous manufacturing of various digital broadcasting equipment had taken roots under the initiative of Make in India and that. He urged all the stake holders to encourage and promote indigenous development of equipments in the country. Shri Naidu stated that the gap between the premium Direct To Home (DTH) market and the low quality cable market, lay an opportunity that was currently being tapped by the free to air (FTA) DTH platforms like Doordarshan’s FreeDish. With transparent online auctions allowing for market based discovery of the value of these free to air channels, there was an audience revolution of sorts with rural audiences getting on the FTA DTH bandwagon and contributing for enhanced number of entertainment channels. Speaking on the role of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the Minister said that the transition to Digital Broadcasting had posed several challenges and the role of TRAI was extremely crucial in this regard for overcoming any hurdles that may put the transition to newer technologies on a slow path. Shri Naidu congratulated TRAI for completing two decades of regulatory services to the nation, which had contributed immensely to the growth of Telecom and Broadcasting sectors while keeping consumer protection in mind.
Film Promotion Fund to promote Indian cinema in the International Film Festivals – President of India
The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee today conferred National Film awards for the year 2016 in various categories at the 64th National Film Awards Function held at Vigyan Bhawan here. Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu and MoS I&B Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore were also present on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the 64th National Film Awards represented a microcosm of India which celebrated
the diversity of languages, customs, religions and culture. Indian Cinema and its diversity convey underlying spirit of brotherhood, tolerance, acceptance and co-existence. The inherent strength of the unity inspite of diversity was our cultural heritage which was inherited through ages. While appreciating the Government’s initiative of creating a Film Promotion Fund, the President said that initiative would promote and motivate talented independent filmmakers to promote their work across the globe in various International Film Festivals. The President also conferred this year’s Dada Saheb Phalke award to Shri Kasinadhuni Viswanath, renowned film director and actor, for his outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema. A presenter of classical and traditional art, music and dance, Shri K Viswanath had been a guiding force in the Indian film industry. Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Information & Broadcasting Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu said that Indian cinema had remarkably showcased the vast richness of our cultural diversity, our beautiful landscapes, languages and had been a great unifying force in promoting na t iona l integration. He also called upon all the stakeholders to reflect on the creative, constructive and meaningful engagement through the medium of cinema. Care and caution should be taken while depicting stories of tragedy. Shri Naidu while complementing the film industry stated that they had set their mind on delivering excellence and promoting societal values. The film industry should join hands to facilitate mission MODI (Making of Developed India) due to the strong influence of cinema on our society and its values. He mentioned that the movies that had won the awards focus on a variety of issues and themes ranging from discrimination, love, historical relationships and relevant social challenges. He added that the National Film Awards showcases our capacity to set standards and to recognize the efforts of Indian filmmakers and artists who achieve high of. Speaking about the Films as a medium of communication, Shri Naidu said that it was the most beautiful form of expression that encompassed a multitude of visual arts such as music, dance and drama. It was also a medium through which contemporary socio- economic, political and cultural issues of individuals and society are showcased. The language of cinema is a universal one. It has been a powerful tool to reach out to people transcending the boundaries in society. Shri Naidu also congratulated the jury chairpersons and their teams who have brought out the best of Indian cinema under one roof. The Feature Film Central panel was headed by Shri Priyadarshan, an eminent Film filmmaker popularly known for his Malayalam movie Kanchivaram. The Chairperson for Non – Feature Film Jury was Shri Raju Mishra while the Chairperson for Writing Jury was Ms. Bhawana Somaaya. The Most Film Friendly State award jury was chaired by Shri Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi, a popular Director in Telugu film industry.
Some of the prominent winners in various categories for this year National Film Awards included Kasaav in Best Feature Film category and Fireflies in the Abyss in the NonFeature Film Category. Ms. Sonam Kapoor was awarded Special Mention Award in the Feature Films Category for her role in the movie Neerja. Movies in the languages other than those specified in the VIII Schedule of the constitution in the feature Film categories were also awarded. The award for the best Moran Film was given to Haanduk while best Tulu film was given to Madipu. Best Film Critic award was given to G. Dhananjayan for his in depth analysis on a wide range of topics such as film genres, brands, new strategies in movie watching, taxation impact and ticket pricing. Special Mention Award was given to the K.P. Jayashankar and Anjali Monteiro for the book ‘A fly in the Curry’. Best Book on Cinema award was given to ‘Lata- Sur Gatha’ authored by Yatindra Mishra. Special Jury Award in the Feature category was given to Mohanlal for his mastery in dealing with characters of various shades with unparallel acting brilliance. Special Jury Award in the Non-Feature category was given to ‘The Cinema Travellers’. This year a new category ‘Best on-location Sound Recordist’ in the Non-Feature Film section of the National Film Awards was also introduced. The state of Uttar Pradesh was awarded the Most Film Friendly State award for implementing a unique film policy.