I&B Ministry
Former I&B minister Prasad shot at, attacker lynched
NEW DELHI: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former information and broadcasting minister Ravishanker Prasad was wounded in an attack by a lone gunman at an election meeting at Nokha in Bihar’s Rohtas district today.
The attack, which took place while Prasad was addressing an election meeting in the state, wounded him in the arm and the incensed crowd immediately turned on the as-yet unknown assailant, injuring him seriously. According to doctors, the attacker is presently in an unconscious state.
Prasad collapsed on the dais after the shooting, Press Trust of India, quoting official sources, said. The injured Prasad was immediately flown in a helicopter to Bihar’s state capital of Patna where he was admitted to a private nursing home.
The BJP, battling to regain some power in the near-lawless state of Bihar, could make this a plank during the forthcoming elections, scheduled to take place next month.
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the earlier paper-heavy system created under the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, which has since been repealed.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.
