Movie tickets to be capped at Rs 200 in Karnataka, including in city multiplexes: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Mar 7 (PTI): Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah announced on Friday that the cost of the tickets in all theatres of the state, including multiplexes here, will be capped at Rs 200.
In his historic 16th budget, Siddaramaiah also announced Karnataka will create an OTT platform to promote Kannada movies.
Recently, leading Kannada actor-producers like Rakshit Shetty and Risabh Shetty had complained they were unable to get any major OTT platforms to pick up the Kannada content.
Incidentally, Rakhsit Shetty's production house, Paramvah Studio began streaming its Kannada web series 'Ekam' in a custom platform in July 2024, unable to find an OTT platform.
The CM has also earmarked Rs 3 crore for creating a repository of Kannada films, both in digital and non-digital formats, to preserve movies depicting social, historical and cultural values of the state.
Heeding another another demand by the stakeholders, Siddaramaiah said the cinema sector will be given the status of an industry and that the facilities provided under the Industrial Policy will be extended to it.
According to him, a multiplex movie theatre complex will also be developed under Public Private Partnership (PPP) in 2.5-acre land owned by the Karnataka Film Academy in Nandini Layout in the city.
Also, for developing an International level Film City in Mysuru at a cost of Rs 500 crore in PPP model, 150 acre land has been transferred to the Department of Information and Public relations, Siddaramaiah said.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
