I&B Ministry asks broadcasters and producers to clear payments of artistes

During the current nation-wide lockdown, a lot of industries have been affected. One of the most affected industries during the lockdown is the entertainment industry. Since the lockdown was implemented in India in March, all major shoots of movies and TV shows have been postponed. A lot of television artists are finding it difficult to survive during the lockdown due to financial issues. The Information and Broadcast (I&B) ministry has asked the producers and broadcasters of TV serials to clear the payments of artistes.

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The ministry has said that the pandemic of COVID-19 has led to a financial downturn for a large number of sectors of the economy which also includes the broadcasting industry. The letter said that the Honourable Minister of I&B ministry has had an occasion to discuss the problems of the broadcasting sector with the major stakeholders, and the government is seized of their concerns.

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The letter that is on the ministry's website also mentioned that the Bureau of Outreach and Communication (BOC) is working on a war footing for liquidating the pendency of advertisement bills of the media industry. Talking about the pending payments of artistes, the letter said, “However, equally important is the livelihoods of the employees (and their families) who are working in this sector, including a large number of modestly paid TV artists engaged for production of various TV serials. While services of such persons were taken, some of them may not have received their remuneration”.

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As the letter by I&B ministry appreciated the concerns for the broadcasting sector it also focused on the immediate need to clear the payments of artistes. The letter further added, “It is, therefore, urged that broadcasters and producers of TV serials may take a compassionate view and ensure that all payments due to such persons up to March 2020 are cleared at the earliest. This will be of immense relief to them and their families”.

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I&B ministry’s request to clear payments of artistes comes after the Manmeet Grewal and Preksha Mehta’s suicide. The major reason behind Manmeet Grewal’s death was the major financial crisis that he was going through even before the lockdown. The lockdown made the situation worse for the TV actor and thus he took the decision to end his life. Another TV actor Preksha Mehta committed suicide during the lockdown. She was said to be depressed. Cast and crew of TV show Hamari Bahu Silk had also expressed their concerns about their due payments from the show.