Initially when the Akhilesh Yadav government in U.P. (Uttar Pradesh) started inviting several Bollywood stars as chief guests for various events, started making Bollywood films as tax free, not many could clearly see the long term vision that the government had.
These moves were widely criticized, but guess what, today U.P. is among the top states in India that are considered film friendly.
The state of U.P. now attracts several Bollywood filmmakers to shoot their films in the state. This is largely because of the efforts of the state government, who have been working hard, to project UP as an ideal destination for filmmaking and shooting in India. And going by the results, it surely seem to be working good for them.
Take a look at their achievements (and proposals):
U.P. Govt Announces Sarkari Pension to Amitabh Bachchan, Among India’s Richest Entertainers
In a country where farmers are committing suicides, where the elderly find it difficult to bear rising health costs, and where thousands of government employees are demanding better pension pay, this move by the Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) government baffled many in India, including Mr. Amitabh Bachchan.
The U.P. government recently announced a life-long pension of Rs. 50,000 (around $800) to Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan & Abhishek Bachchan, for their contribution to Indian cinema and because Mr. Bachchan is originally from U.P. The pension was announced under the Uttar Pradesh government’s new pension scheme called Yash Bharti Samman.
What followed was widespread criticism, as the move served no public purpose, sounded more like a vanity scheme for netas handing out freebies with the tax payers money.
After all, why would the Bachchan’s need pension, and that too from the state government of one of India’s poorest states.
Besides, surviving freedom fighters and their spouses, and ex-Andaman political pensioners, receive around Rs 20,000 a month as pension, so why Rs. 50,000 to the Bachchans?
Its a known fact that Amitabh Bachchan is one of the richest entertainers in India. Amitabh Bachchan realized that the move had crated a big furore and announced that his family didn’t need the pension, and the money be given to more needy people.
