I&B Ministry
I&B Ministry mandates BECIL to undertake bidding for social media agency
NEW DELHI: In an attempt to strengthen its Social Media Communication Hub, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has invited tenders for selection of agencies for Response Management Services related to 24×7 function, operation and maintenance apart from testing of software and a separate one for Monitoring services.
The Broadcast Engineering Consultants (India) Ltd (BECIL) has been engaged by the Ministry to undertake the bid process management and execute the project and functioning, operationalisation and maintenance of the social media communication hub.
Bidding will be conducted through the Two Envelope Competitive Bidding procedures specified in the GFR Procurement Manual/BECIL Purchase procedure, and are open to all eligible bidders as defined in the Ministry website.
The operation agency will be responsible for one year from the date of award of work order extendable for a period of two year (if required) in case of renewal at the same terms and condition of work order.
The estimated date of start of operations and services will be from April 2016.
The selected agency must have all the facility and solution in-house, so that the
“project” can be made operational within the stipulated time frame and keep it functional thereafter on 24×7 basis.
All other requirements such as essential equipment / hardware, software, networking and required services etc including bandwidth will have to be provided by the selected agency.
I&B Ministry
Press Sewa Portal digitises 1.5 lakh records, streamlines periodical registrations: MIB
Online system spans 780 districts; Rs 5.6 crore penalties, 88,315 titles cancelled
NEW DELHI: India’s print media registry has quietly moved from dusty files to digital dashboards. The government has digitised more than 1.5 lakh historical records of newspapers and periodicals and shifted registrations fully online through the Press Sewa Portal.
Introduced under the Press and Registration of Periodicals (PRP) Act, 2023, the portal now handles all applications for registering periodicals, replacing the earlier paper-heavy system created under the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, which has since been repealed.
The digital shift brings a wide range of services onto a single platform. Publishers can now register new periodicals, revise registrations, transfer ownership, file annual statements, pay penalties online and apply for circulation verification without navigating government offices.
As part of the rollout, specified authorities in 780 districts across India have been onboarded onto the platform. Since 1 March 2024, the portal has processed 11,081 applications and issued certificates across different categories.
The transition has also brought stronger compliance. According to government data, Rs 5.63 crore in penalties has been collected through the portal so far. States such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh account for some of the largest penalty collections.
At the same time, the authorities have carried out a major clean-up of inactive or non-compliant publications. A total of 88,315 periodicals have been cancelled nationwide, with Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi among the states reporting the highest number of cancellations.
The government says the system will continue to evolve based on feedback from users. The Press Registrar General of India (PRGI) regularly reviews suggestions to improve services and make compliance easier for publishers.
The full list of registered newspapers and periodicals is available on the PRGI website under the Registered Titles section.
The information was shared in a written reply in the Lok Sabha by minister of state for information and broadcasting and parliamentary affairs L Murugan, responding to a question from Damodar Agrawal.
