Karnataka govt to examine whether film industry employees should be considered frontline workers

The Karnataka government would examine whether employees in the state’s film industry, hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, could be considered as frontline workers and facilitate them get vaccinations, Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan said Bengaluru on Sunday. CN Ashwath Narayan said the film industry was one of the sectors which had been severely hit on account of the pandemic and induced lockdown. “The film industry has been in difficulties since March 2020 and their distress has been continuing due to restrictions on shooting activities and closure of theatres. Organisations and donors should come forward generously at this juncture to help film artists considering the plight they have been facing,” he said. The government would examine whether they could be considered frontline workers and facilitate them get vaccinations, he said. The DCM today symbolically distributed food kits donated by a charitable trust to supporting artists of Kannada films. He also announced a personal aid of Rs 1,000 each to 200 supporting artists during the occasion. As part of the financial package announced by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa recently, artistes and art teams will be given Rs 3,000 each, benefitting 16,095 of them and it will cost Rs 4.82 crore.