TMC MP Nusrat Jahan urges Centre to sanction relief packages for entertainment industry

Actor and Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha MP Nusrat Jahan on Wednesday urged the government to sanction relief packages for the entertainment industry stating that it has borne the brunt of measures triggered by the novel coronavirus.

Speaking in the Lower House, she said that the industry is facing a huge financial crisis and people associated with it have become jobless.

"The government of various states announced a complete lockdown of public places like theatres in March 2020. This was followed by a social distancing advisory issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (MoHFW) on March 16, 2020. These measures have led, not only shutdown of several theatres countrywide but also indefinite halt in production of several films, television, and other entertainment mediums," Jahan said.

"Due to this, the entire industry has been suffering. Lakhs of people have been losing their job. The condition of the Bengal film industry is also terrible. Thousands of people working in this film industry directly or indirectly like actors, singers, technicians, makeup artists etc are jobless," she said.

Speaking further, the Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal's Basirhat said: "The industry is facing a huge financial crisis... I would request the government to kindly look into the matter and sanction relief packages for the entertainment industry and its people."

The monsoon session of the Parliament, which kicked off on Monday with several precautionary measures in the view of COVID-19 is slated to conclude on October 1.

Proceedings in Rajya Sabha are being held from 9 am till 1 pm while Lok Sabha sittings are from 3 pm to 7 pm.

( With inputs from ANI )