Deputy CM wants grants for Marathi theatre

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said Marathi theatre productions should be treated on par with cinema and given the grants given to Marathi films.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said Marathi theatre productions should be treated on par with cinema and given the grants given to Marathi films.

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Pawar has issued directives stating the same and directed senior officials to look into this issue. He made this assurance to a delegation of theatre producers, which met him at the state secretariat today.

The delegation said the grant for Marathi theatre was not sanctioned due to technicalities whereas films were given financial assistance. The state government grants subsidy of around Rs 30 lakh to Marathi film producers on their second, third and fourth productions provided the film meets certain technical requirements. The state has also made it mandatory for all cinema theatres to run mandatory number of Marathi film shows a year. However, such incentives have not yet been made available to theatre, which has traditionally been more vibrant in the state. Now, subsidy incentive though on a smaller scale is being proposed for theater.

Pawar said that to promote theatre, the government would construct auditoriums in every district and the funds would be made available from the district planning funds.

Similarly, local legislators will also be allowed to use their MLA funds for constructing such auditoriums.