CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is expected to visit New Delhi on May 22, in what is seen as his first major outreach to the national leadership since assuming office earlier this month.
Sources said meetings have been proposed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior Union Ministers, constitutional authorities and top Opposition leaders during the visit.
Discussions with the Prime Minister and Union Ministers are likely to focus on issues concerning Tamil Nadu, including financial assistance from the Union Government, pending infrastructure projects, investment proposals and the administrative priorities of the new State government, sources said.
Appointments with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are also learnt to be in the final stages of finalisation, according to sources in Fort St. George.
As part of official protocol, Vijay is also expected to call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan during his stay in the national capital.
Sources further said the Chief Minister may hold meetings with senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.
Apart from political engagements, Vijay is also expected to interact with industrialists, diplomats, senior advocates and representatives of various sectors. Though the detailed itinerary is yet to be officially announced, officials said the visit could help shape the State government's administrative and economic agenda in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam president Kamal Haasan on Saturday met Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay at his Neelankarai residence here and submitted a detailed representation seeking a series of policy interventions for the Tamil film industry, including the launch of a Tamil Nadu government-backed OTT platform and permission for theatres to screen five shows a day.
In a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister, the Rajya Sabha MP said the Tamil cinema industry had great hopes for Vijay's leadership and urged the government to introduce measures to revive film exhibition and production in the State.
Among the key demands placed before the government was the creation of a state-owned OTT platform that would stream Tamil films, independent cinema and documentaries at subsidised rates. Haasan also sought the abolition of the 4 per cent local body entertainment tax, contending that rising production and theatre operation costs were affecting the industry.
Calling piracy a major threat to the livelihood of artists and producers, he urged the government to constitute a dedicated anti-piracy enforcement team within the Tamil Nadu Police Cyber Crime Wing to enable real-time takedown of pirated content.
The actor-politician further requested permission for theatres across the State to screen five shows daily for all films and sought a mandatory eight-week OTT release window to protect theatre revenues and distributors.
Kamal also proposed a film production incentive scheme offering up to a 10 per cent subsidy for films that complete over half of their shooting schedule in Tamil Nadu.
"Cinema is part of the cultural identity of our State and a source of livelihood for lakhs of families, " he said in the representation.