Heeding PM's austerity call, Shelar says not attending Cannes Film Festival in France

Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar on Monday announced that he would not be attending this year’s Cannes Film Festival in France in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to prioritise national interest and exercise restraint in expenditure during the current difficult situation facing the country.

In a statement issued here, Shelar said a decision has been taken to exercise restraint in departmental expenditure keeping national interest as the highest priority during challenging times.

Greater emphasis would be laid on holding meetings through virtual platforms and ensuring limited use of resources, the state Cultural Affairs, Electronics, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence minister said.

”The decision was taken in line with the prime minister’s appeal to give utmost priority to national interest,” the senior BJP leader added.

Shelar, however, said the government machinery would continue to work in a planned manner to ensure necessary coordination and support for Marathi films participating in the Cannes Film Festival.

He would participate online wherever necessary to promote Marathi cinema, the minister added.

PM Modi on Sunday called for judicious use of fuel, postponement of gold purchases and foreign travel, among other measures to strengthen the economy, emphasising that the Centre is trying to shield people from the adverse impact of the West Asia conflict.

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