Addressing the Social Editors' meet on Monday, Minister for Information and Broadcasting said the council would help remove hurdles faced by the entertainment industry. “Since it is a sector that has been earning (a huge reven]ue) without the government having to plough back any funds, it is time we set up an Export Promotion Council for the entire entertainment industry to facilitate growth which every other industry has.”

The decision is being seen as another step forward after the film/entertainment business was given the “industry” status during the former NDA regime.

Once the Council is operational, it will carry out promotional activities and also provide a platform where issue such as piracy, entry into new markets and overseas shows can be addressed. The proposal of setting up the council was first suggested by the Film and Television Producers Guild of India last year.

Following this, a steering committee under the former NDFC Managing Director Ravi Gupta was set up in New Delhi to draw up a proposal.

Apart from Bollywood, South Indian Film Exporters Association, FICCI and Wizcraft were also part of the committee which prepared the draft presented to the I&B Ministry for consideration.

The announcement regarding setting up of the Export Promotion Council for Entertainment Industry came hand-in-hand with a proposal to restructure NFDC.

This apart, the five groups formed to look into taxation strcuture, piracy, joint cooperation, joint ventures concerning the film industry are expected to submit their report by the end of this month.