I&B Ministry
Parliamentary Committee okays MIB’s Rs 350 cr. proposal for govt campaigns
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s (MIB) proposal to seek a revised cost estimate for additional requirement of funds to the tune of Rs 350 crore for the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) has found favour with a Parliamentary Standing Committee.
The Committee agreed with the Ministry’s apprehension that if adequate funds are not made available under the scheme, the multimedia campaign of flagship programmes of the Government such as Make in India, Digital India, Skill India, Jan Dhan Yojana, etc. will get adversely affected.
The Committee said sustained campaign for people’s participation in the flagship programmes of the Government should not suffer due to want of funds.
It therefore wanted the Ministry to pursue with the Finance Ministry for adequate allocation under the scheme.
The MIB informed the Committee that the proposal had already been mooted and is in process.
The Committee noted with satisfaction that out of an allocation of Rs 160.20 crore, the Ministry had been able to spend Rs 147.01 crore (91.76 per cent) during 2014-15. “There has been a cent percent achievement of physical targets under Scheme of DAVP during 2014-15,” the Committee said.
The Committee was given to understand that due to total exhaustion of funds allocated for the entire 12th Plan period, the left over amount of Rs 23 crore from the original approved fund of Rs 470 crore had been allocated for the schemes of DAVP during 2015-16.
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the earlier paper-heavy system created under the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, which has since been repealed.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.
