National importance status planned for SRFTI, FTII: Ambika Soni

Kolkata, Sep 16 Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni Friday said the government is planning to bring in a bill to make both Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) Kolkata and the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Pune as institutes of national importance.

'We are going to bring and we are in the process of formulating an act. We are going to bring before parliament of India an act where these two institutes will get the rank of institutes of national importance,' said Soni while addressing a convocation programme in SRFTI.

Asked whether the bill will be brought in parliament during the winter session, Soni said: 'I may want to bring the Act in the winter session but parliamentary affairs minister says there are a lot of pending bills and with the opposition being the way it is, they don't allow the parliament to work too much.'

'But this bill is top in our priority list,' she said.

Soni added that awarding the status of national importance will impart recognition to the diplomas given from the institute.