NE producers demand Rs 80 crore for commissioned programmes

Guwahati, Aug 21 (UNI) Producers Council, an association of private producers of Doordarshan in North East, today demanded Rs 80 crore for commissioned programmes for 2006-07.

Talking to mediapersons here, Council president Pulak Gogoi said a delegation of the Council had called on I&B Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi in New Delhi recently and submitted a petition in this regard.

The amount for commissioned programmes sanctioned during 2004-05 was Rs 20 crore for Programme Production Centre (PPC-NE) and Rs 12 crore for DDK, Guwahati, making the total amount Rs 32 crore.

However, the amount had been decreased by Rs five crore for PPC-NE and Rs 4.5 crore for DDK Guwahati, Mr Gogoi informed.

''Moreover, there was no sanction for the intervening period of 2005-06,'' he added.

The Council appealed for early release of amount so that the producers of the region were not deprived as in the preceding year.

Mr Gogoi also alleged that Rs 1.2 crore meant for NE had been diverted for use in DDK, Delhi.

He said, ''About 20,000 families are dependent on the fledging entertainment industry in NE. If the government deprives the region of its rightful funds, these people will suffer.'' The Producers Council demanded service tax exemption for the region and allocation of more funds in the lines of Jammu and Kashmir, which has received Rs 200 crore for commissioned programmes.

They also wanted a hike in the amount allotted per episode and constitution of a special empanelment for the region.

Mr Gogoi said the Centre's proposal to form a single empanelment of producers for allotment of commissioned programmes throughout the country had been protested by the Council.

He said, ''Mr Dasmunshi has assured that the NE producers will be given special consideration in view of their limited experience.'' He warned that if the I&B ministry cut the funds, about 50 per cent of the producers would be rendered unemployed in the region.

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