Indian film-makers have cause to rejoice from this year’s budget as the government announced extension of the single window clearance provision to Indian producers as well.

“To promote entertainment industry - Single window clearance for ease of shooting films, available only to foreigners, is now going to be made available to Indian filmmakers as well. Regulatory provisions will rely more on self-declaration,” interim finance minister Piyush Goyal said while delivering the 2019-20 budget in the parliament.

This means that the pre-production time for making films will reduce since the time spent on seeking permissions will come down. Until now, single window clearance was available for foreign filmmakers only. He added that anti-camcording provisions will be introduced in the Cinematograph Act to control the menace of piracy.

“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. 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,” said Siddharth Roy Kapur, President, Producers Guild of India.

The announcement comes a day after the Kerala government announced a levy of an additional 10 per cent entertainment tax on movie tickets, over and above the 12 per cent GST on movie tickets below Rs 100 and 18 per cent GST on tickets above Rs 100.