When representatives of the 24 crafts of the Telugu film industry meet this May Day, it will be a rare occasion. And the icing on the cake will be the presence of Union Minister of State for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya, a phenomenon that cinema industry workers are eager to see, in the hope that it would mean improving their lot. On Tuesday, a delegation of representatives from the Telugu Film Industry Employees Federation, an organisation that represents the interests of workmen across the 24 crafts called on the Union Minister and extended a formal invitation to him. He promised them that no stone will be left unturned in ensuring that workers of the cinema industry who were in the unorganised sector got their social security. “Whether it is your ID card, or your healthcare, minimum wages and every other benefit that is extended to you by the government, we will see to it that you get them all. If necessary, we will even get existing laws amended,” he told a delegation led by filmmaker Tripuranani Varaprasad.
