The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has decided to close all the branches of the Films Division, National Film Archive of India and Children’s Film Society of India before the end of January, as per a report by Scroll.
In December last year, the ministry had announced that these organisations, along with the Directorate of Film Festivals, would be merged with the National Film Development Corporation, which produces arthouse movies as well as runs the co-production platform Film Bazaar.
A statement by the ministry read, "The merger of film media units under one corporation will lead to convergence of activities and resources and better coordination, thereby ensuring synergy and efficiency in achieving the mandate of each media unit".
A senior official of the Films Division told Scroll that over 400 employees of these bodies across cities would be affected by this decision.
On 7 December, Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas had written to Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur to draw his attention to the fact that apprehensions are being raised regarding the proposed merger.
Brittas reportedly said that the National Film Development Corporation is registered under the Companies Act and “has to generate profit for its operation and sustainability”. He asked how it could undertake projects of non-profit nature being undertaken by the Films Division and Directorate of Film Festivals.
Brittas added that the decision to close these organisations would "erase the audio-visual record of this nation".
Brittas asked Thakur to make the reports and documents related to the merger and monetisation of the assets public as well as the action plan to ensure that staff would not be retrenched.
A number of celebrities, including Naseeruddin Shah, Nandita Das, and Anand Patwardhan, have written to the I&B Ministry expressing their skepticism and demanding transparency regarding the merger/closure.
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