I&B Ministry
I&B ministry asks TV channels to publicise travel advisory for COVID-19 affected countries
MUMBAI: The deadly corona virus with its epicentre in Wuhan, China has slowly crept into several parts of the world. Just this week, cases of Indians who have contracted this infectious disease came to light and put the government on alert. The health ministry has finally issued an advisory regarding Covid-19 and the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has requested the electronic media to help spread the message.
“Electronic media has always been in the forefront to carry such message as it is a powerful tool to reach out to the people across the country. In order to make this effort successful, it has been felt that support, assistance and contribution of TV channels and FM radio channels will be of immense use,” the advisory reads.
The following are the tickers TV channels are advised to carry:
1. Indian citizens are advised to refrain from travel to China, Iran, Republic of Korea, Italy and Japan.
2. Indian citizens are advised to avoid travel to other COVID-19 affected countries.
3. Passengers coming from abroad to India need to furnish duly filled self-declaration form and travel history to health and immigration officials at all ports and airports.
4. For any health-related query call at ministry of health and family welfare, GOI’s 24X7 control room number +91-11-23978046 or email at ncov2019@gmail.com.
“Keeping in view the significance and meaningfulness of this cause, all private satellite news TV channels and their associations are requested to give adequate publicity to the revised travel advisory issued by the ministry of health and family welfare,” it adds.
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the earlier paper-heavy system created under the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, which has since been repealed.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.
