CM approves film royalty law

35% rebate for Punjabi movies receives the nod

LAHORE:

Preparations have been finalised for the launch of Pakistan's first state-of-the-art Film City on December 15.

According to an official statement, Key decisions aimed at reviving the film industry, promoting modern filmmaking and restoring Lahore's position as its centre were approved at the first meeting of the Punjab Film Authority, chaired by Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has approved the formulation of Pakistan's first royalty law for the film industry and directed that it be presented at the next meeting of the authority.

She has approved a rebate of 35 per cent for Punjabi and 20% for Urdu films produced in Punjab to support the local industry.

The proposed city will feature a film and music school, museum, trading house, post-production facility, studio complex, and convention centre.

The rebate policy is expected to provide financial support to filmmakers, encourage quality film production and attract investment to the industry.

It was decided in the meeting to introduce an online one-window facility to help filmmakers identify suitable shooting locations.

The Film City Authority's budget of over Rs589 million for the financial year 2026-27 was referred to a financing committee for review.

Approval was granted to recruit 26 employees in the first phase against 53 sanctioned posts. The authority's board will have the power to make appointments and dismissals.

The participants reviewed progress on the formation of six committees, including the Punjab Film Fund Committee.

It also approved measures for the restoration of old cinemas, installation of solar systems and provision of affordable entertainment facilities to the public.

A decision was made to introduce an online booking system for cinemas.

A training programme was approved for young filmmakers from international experts in modern filmmaking techniques.

Marriyum Aurangzeb said on the occasion that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz wanted Punjab to become a global-standard screen tourism destination within five years.

She said Punjab's unique and valuable culture and rare heritage would be showcased to the world through the camera lens.

"Film City is a complete ecosystem for reviving the film industry, attracting investment, creating employment opportunities and providing quality and affordable entertainment to the public," she said.

Drinking water

Chairing a meeting of the Punjab Saaf Pani Authority, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz set a target for the completion of 5,734 water filtration plants by June 2027.

She assigned the responsibility of monitoring the plants to the assistant commissioners. Public committees will also be constituted under the supervision of the ACs to oversee the plants located in neighbourhoods.

It was decided to establish mobile maintenance units in every tehsil to ensure the repair and rehabilitation of the filtration plants. Each mobile workshop will have plumbers and other technical staff to ensure timely maintenance and uninterrupted access to clean drinking water.

The chief minister also approved the Last-Mile Water Supply Project for the worst-affected areas of Chakwal, Rajanpur and Rawalpindi. Water supply schemes covering 256 kilometres in Chakwal and 1,780km in Rajanpur will be prioritised.

CM Maryam Nawaz was informed that plants in Khushab, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur were producing 10,000 19-litre water bottles daily, benefiting 4.8 million people. Over 75,000 bottles of water have been delivered to households under the initiative.

The chief minister said clean drinking water was the right of every citizen. She said that, for the first time in Punjab, the government had taken the initiative of delivering clean drinking water to households.

CM Maryam Nawaz said water supply schemes would also be launched in other areas and people would no longer have to travel miles to fetch drinking water.