All Marathi films will now be free of entertainment tax, said Cultural Affairs Minister Pramod Navalkar recently. He also announced financial aid of Rs 15 lakh for all Marathi films and 50 per cent discount at Goregaon and Kolhapur studios; and an award of Rs 15 lakh and memento to Marathi films which win a national or international award.

Dharna

Casual labourers employed in the Public Works Department of the Government of Maharashtra have staged an agitation for an indefinite period from Monday near Mantralaya to draw attention their pending demands. They are demanding regularisation of thousands of labourers who are yet to be regularised even after completing five years of service. There are nearly 8,700 posts vacant in the PWD for many years.

Book fest

Sheriff Usha Kiran inaugurated the Bandra Book Fest `97 at the Saint Paul's Press Training School premises. The exhibition marks the 35th anniversary of The Teenager, the oldest national youth magazine in India. It will be open daily from 10.00 am to 8.00 pm with a 10-30 per cent discount and will conclude with a pageant sponsored by The Teenager at 5 pm on November 30 at the St Andrew's Auditorium.

-- Express Newsline reportss¬Ut›Ð@¼Tt›ast 15 years. He observed that the BMC does not even have the registration to employ contract labourers.However, the main grouse of the workers is against an affidavit filed by the BMC on the petition of the union which claims that all the demands of the contract workers, including providing gumboots and raincoats for monsoons to work in the swamps of the dumping ground, water for cleaning and drinking and other necessities had been met with.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.