GUWAHATI, Sept 16 - In a move to inject a fresh lease of life into cinema halls and the fraternity associated with them, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today presented cheques as government subsidy to entrepreneurs to establish new cinema halls and to reopen or renovate closed and old halls.
Under the scheme implemented by the Assam State Film (Finance and Development) Corporation Limited for the first time, government subsidies were given to five entrepreneurs to open new cinema halls and five entrepreneurs to reopen or renovate closed and old cinema halls. For new ventures, the government would bear subsidy up to 25 per cent or Rs 75 lakh, while for renovation there would be government subsidy to the tune of Rs 25 lakh and for reopening of closed cinema halls the government subsidy would be Rs 50 lakh. The government released 40 per cent of the subsidy under the scheme.
Chief Minister Sonowal said that the government has taken a decision to help out the cinema halls to promote exhibition of Assamese cinema along with other mainstream movies. The scheme will also help in turning the film industry into a potential industry in the State.
Sonowal also said that the COVID-19 pandemic has had its impact on the artistes of the State as their activities have been restricted to a great extent. He, however, said the government would stand by the artistes and is formulating various schemes for their welfare.
The Chief Minister also thanked the artistes for generating awareness among the public in general about the safety protocol of COVID-19.
It may be noted that the beneficiaries given subsidy for opening new cinema halls are Jonaki Cinema Hall (Tezpur), Kelvin Cinema Hall (Guwahati), Zelimax (Bongaigaon), Chaya Cinema Hall (Tangla) and the cinema hall promoted by PG Enterprise on Nagaon Bypass. For reopening or renovation of closed and old cinema halls, the beneficiaries selected are Indrapuri Cinema Hall (Barpeta), Anuradha Cine Complex (Guwahati), Nakshatra Cinema Hall (Lakhimpur), Mayapuri Cinema Hall (Bongaigaon) and Nazira Film Cooperative Societies (Nazira).
Daughter of Jyotiprasad Agarwala Gyanshree Pathak also spoke on the occasion. She recited a poem written by her father and spoke on how her father made feature films in those days in spite of many adversities. She also spoke on Jonaki Cinema Hall set up by her father in Tezpur and its journey over the years to arrive at its present status.
