
Movie ticket prices to reduce in Tamil Nadu ahead of Thug Life release. Here's how
The Tamil Nadu government slashed the Local Bodies Entertainment Tax (LBET) from 8.6 per cent to 4 per cent. This move comes after Kamal Haasan appealed to the government, emphasising the struggles that the Tamil film industry is going through. This order will come to fruition ahead of the release of 'Thug Life', which will hit theatres on June 5.Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI) thanked and expressed their gratitude to MK Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. They also thanked Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and Minister for Tamil Development and Information Thiru MP Saminathan.advertisementEarlier, actor-producer Kamal Haasan appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to cut down on the tax, while stressing the financial struggles faced by the Tamil film industry in recent times, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The revised order, which was issued under the Tamil Nadu Local Authorities Entertainments Tax Act, 2017, will be reflected in the ticket pricing. Earlier, local body tax was priced at 8.6 per cent.This move is expected to increase footfall in theatres and reduce the pressure that producers and exhibitors have been facing. The film industry has been struggling financially due to rising production costs.Many producers and distributors welcomed this decision and expressed their relief. This move will help Kamal Haasan's upcoming film, 'Thug Life,' directed by Mani Ratnam and upcoming movies in the state.
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The Hindu
41 minutes ago
- The Hindu
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In theory, the costs of non-compliance could run to crores of rupees in fines, though these have not materialised thanks to deadline extensions. 'FGD not necessary' However, this was the first time that multiple arms of the government congregated to deliberate on whether FGDs were required in the first place. Their verdict draws on three reports by the CSIR-NEERI, the National Institute of Advanced Studies, and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. The lead scientists of these three institutions – each 'supported' by different arms of the government – were at the meeting on April 23, along with representatives from the Office of the PSA, the Union Power Ministry, and the NITI Ayog. They were all largely unanimous that FGD 'was not necessary.' 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FGDs may worsen carbon emissions One argument mentioned in the report was that using FGDs might result in additional carbon dioxide emissions and accentuate global warming. 'Installing FGDs in all TPPs by 2030 will increase the Auxiliary Power Consumption (APC) of the TPPs, thereby adding approximately 69 million tons of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere (2025-30) while reducing SO2 emissions by —17 million tons. Adding more long-lived CO2 emissions while removing short-lived SO2 emissions by installing FGDs indiscriminately in all TPPs in India despite the low Sulphur content of Indian coal will enhance global warming.' On the other hand, given that burning coal is India's primary source of electricity, India's annual SO2 emissions has risen from 4,000 kilotonnes in 2010 to 6,000 kilotonnes in 2022. By comparison, Indonesia, a source of imported coal to India has averaged about 2,000 kt in the same period, according to data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a Helsinki-based think tank. This is when India's emission standards, at 100 micrograms/m3 (thus requiring FGD), is lower than Indonesia's 800. Environment Ministry 'studying' order Those who attended the meeting included the Secretary, Minister of Power and three other senior officials; Secretary, Environment and Forests and two other officials; four officials of the Office of the PSA; representatives of the NITI Ayog, Central Electricity Authority (the power regulator), Central Pollution Control Board, and academicians. A detailed questionnaire to the Power Ministry was unanswered until press time. Tanmay Kumar, Secretary, Environment Ministry, told The Hindu that his Ministry was 'studying' the order. India has 180 coal-fired thermal power plants, each of them with multiple units. The 600 TPPs, depending on their size, age, proximity to densely populous cities, and background pollution levels, were given different timelines by the Environment Ministry to comply with the FGD installation requirements. Deadlines have been shifted three times, with the most recent extension coming on Dec 31, 2024. Major population centres The committee, according to the minutes of the meeting seen by The Hindu, will 'recommend' to the Power and Environment Ministers that only power plants located within a 10-km radius of the National Capital Region and other cities with a million-plus population be required to install FGDs. These are called Category A plants. There are 66 such plants, and only 14 of them have installed FGDs. Currently, all these plants are required to comply by 2027. Plants within a 10-km radius of 'Critically Polluted Cities' or 'Non Attainment Cities', called Category B plants, would be eligible for exemption on a 'case by case' basis, on a joint review by the Central Electricity Authority or Central Pollution Control Board. There are 72 such plants, with only four having installed FGD. These plants currently have a deadline of 2028. The remaining 462 plants all come under Category C, of which 32 have installed FGDs. These plants have been given a 2029 deadline, but the committee has now recommended that Category C plants be exempted completely, along with some units in Categories A and B which were set up at least 20 years ago. 'Will not affect public health' 'The key common point in these studies is that fitment of FGDs in all TPPs in India is not necessary to comply with the NAAQ (National Ambient Air Quality) standards whose compliance is essential to safeguard public health. While all TPPs must comply with the December 2015 stack emission standards for PM pollution and freshwater consumption, the SO2 stack emission standards can be relaxed to ensure that they are in conformance with the NAAQ standards which are notified by CPCB, keeping in mind the human health and other aspects. This way, TPPs may be able to comply with these standards without fitting FGDs. Since the existing NAAQ standards (for ambient SO2) must be complied with, this change will not affect human health in India,' the committee concludes. Currently, State governments or affiliated companies run a majority of the Category A TPPs, whereas private authorities hold the highest share in Categories B and C.


Time of India
42 minutes ago
- Time of India
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India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Kamal Haasan's Kannada remark controversy escalates
On this episode of Super 6, the focus is on the controversy surrounding Kamal Haasan's comments about the Kannada language emerging from Tamil. The Karnataka High Court has demanded an apology from Haasan, calling him arrogant for refusing to say sorry. The issue has escalated, with pro-Kannada groups opposing the release of Haasan's upcoming film 'Thug Life' in Karnataka. The actor maintains he will not apologise, stating his comments were made out of love.