I&B Ministry
Expenditure on broadcasting by MIB up by almost Rs 400 crore between 2012 and 2015
New Delhi: Broadcasting has occupied the largest chunk of the plan and non-plan expenditure of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry between 2012 and 2015. An analysis of the ministry’s expenditure shows that the Information sector came next with a slice that is far less than the expenses for the broadcasting sector.
And though films are probably the highest taxed sector, it got a slice of less than half of that for the Information Sector. Expenditure on Secretarial services is minuscule in comparison to the overall budget for each year.
The analysis also shows that the expenditure for broadcasting has been going up year on year, going up by almost Rs 400 crore between 2012-12 and 2014-15.
The total expenditure on broadcasting in three years was Rs 6693.68 crore, while the expenditure on the three other sectors of the Ministry together for these years was less than one-third of this at Rs 1918.63 crore.
Of the total expenditure of Rs 3158.53 crore in 2014-15, the expenditure on broadcasting was Rs 2467.4 crore, followed by the Information sector with Rs 466.4 crore, the film sector with Rs 176.33 crore, and Secretariat with Rs 48.4 crore.
In 2013-14 out of the total expenditure of Rs 2828.52 crore, a sum of Rs 2157.19 crore was spent on broadcasting, followed by the Information sector with Rs 474.73 crore, film sector with 154.29 crore, and Secretarial expenses at Rs 42.31 crore.
The total expenditure in 2012-13 was Rs 2625.26 crore. Of this, the expenditure on broadcasting was Rs 2069.09 crore, followed by Information with Rs 381.22 crore, films with Rs 133.02 crore and Secretariat with Rs 41.93 crore.
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the earlier paper-heavy system created under the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, which has since been repealed.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.
