The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting will be working to mainstream a synchronized ‘Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)’ for obtaining permissions for films shooting in India,for both Indian and foreign film producers.

This would lead to institutionalization and standardized benchmarks for each critical stakeholder involved in the process. The benchmarks identified in the SOP would clearly identify the responsibility of critical stakeholders in terms of clearances / timelines/ permissions required for films shooting, said Secretary (I&B), Bimal Julka.

The ministry was in the process of developing a dedicated online portal for operationalising the ‘Single Window Clearance’ System, Julka said.

Elaborating further, Julka said that the challenge before the ministry was to outline steps that would encourage producers to avail of the facility. The road map needed to include steps involving the simplification of the process, incentivization of various principles and inputs which would lead to India as a filming hub and synergize the link between films and tourism as the case world over.

During the inaugural session, Raghvendra Singh, joint secretary (Films) made a presentation on facilitation of film production in India highlighting the growth of the Indian Film Industry in view of the surge of domestic theatrical revenue which grew by 24% and contributed 76% to the Rs.124 billion Indian Film Industry. The relevance of digital dominance was also touched upon highlighting the share of digital format increasing to 80% in 2012.