I&B Ministry
LCO’s bear the brunt of this
Mumbai : The impasse between broadcasters and major cable operators escalated and on the 18t Feb, the three main broadcasters Star, Sony and Zee disconnected leaving everyone in a lurch.
The AIDCF members refused to sign the agreement with the broadcasters due to a steep hike in prices. As per them the prices can go up to 60 per cent , but the MSOs have not indicated a price rise to the LCO’s to communicate the same to the customers.
The LCO’s are in the front line as they serve 98 per cent of the customers directly and they have been facing irate customers for the past 6 days. As the customers are not aware of the rise in prices, their main query is what will be the revised prices? Second, if a customer has paid in advance, why my cable is cut without any prior notice and will I get my money back and lastly why are DTH and a few MSO’s have not been affected by this price hike?
The LCO’s have been sending emails to their respective MSO’s regarding the questions asked by their customers, but there has been no response from the MSO’s.
In Maharashtra, the prominent languages The Star Value Marathi pack was at Rs. 49/- and now with the hike in price it would go up to Rs. 62/-.
Even if this situation gets resolved in a day or two, the LCO’s are going to bear the brunt as they would have to give additional benefits for the days loss of services to their customers, to retain them whilst they have already paid MSO’s the full rate in advance.
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the earlier paper-heavy system created under the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, which has since been repealed.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.
