I&B Ministry
Gender issues: BBC & UNICEF join community radio stations
NEW DELHI: ‘Full On Nikki’, a unique youth show with special focus on gender issues among young adults and adolescents, has commenced broadcast on Panjab University (PU)’s community radio Radio — Jyotirgamaya 91.2MHz and 24 other CRS in different parts of the country.
Though created and developed by BBC Media Action in partnership with United Nation’s Chukdreb’s Fund (UNICEF), it will include local programming created and developed by Radio Jyotirgamaya.
The inaugural episode on the theme ‘The Voice and Silence’ had the participants express various concerns regarding Voice and Silence for the youth.
This is the first international collaboration for the Panjab University Community Radio and will be broadcast on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7:30 pm on Radio Jyotirgamaya 91.2 Mhz with repeats on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at the same time.
According to University Registrar Col GS Chadha (retd), it was a matter of great pride for PU to have an international collaboration with BBC and UNICEF which would not only enabled sensitization of young boys and girls to gender issues, but was also crucial in the development of community radio in India.
Chairperson Archana R Singh said the 78-episode series would focus on the dreams and aspiration of the youth worldwide. It also aimed at sensitizing the age group of 10 to 19 years towards gender and developing a conceptual understanding of related issues.
The show will be broadcast under the agreement signed between Indian Community Radio Association and UNICEF.
Out of 193 Community Radio stations running in India, PU’s Radio Jyotirgamaya 91.2 Mhz is among the 25 Community Radio stations that have been chosen under the international collaboration to broadcast the show, she added.
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.
