Union Budget 2023: Ashoke Pandit says entertainment industry neglected by every government

Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit talked about his expectations from the 2023 Union Budget, which was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday. Talking to news agency ANI, he said that no government has taken the entertainment industry seriously and given it the same importance as other industries.

Ashoke Pandit said, ‘The entertainment industry which includes cinema, television, OTT and state shows has always been very hopeful whenever the Budget is about to be announced, this happens year after year. But unfortunately, our entertainment industry has always been neglected by government after government. We have not been spoken about the way other industries are spoken about in the budget, whether it's the textile industry, whether it's the soap industry or health industry. The way other industries are identified, discussed, debated and benefits are thought for those industries, the entertainment industry has not been given that kind of importance or seriousness by any government till date.’

He added, ‘We have been discussing, we have been approaching but unfortunately that seriousness, as far as our industry is concerned, is not there in the politics of this country.’

He further shared how the film industry is one of the biggest taxpayers of the country and during all kinds of troubles like corona they play a very important role by entertaining the people sitting at home.

‘We were responsible for people not getting mentally ill. So this industry has to be taken seriously by the governments and not only use us as promoters during elections or calling for events,’ he said.

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