I&B Ministry
Govt warned 55 violators of programme & ad codes in 3 yrs, says Rathore
NEW DELHI: The government issued 55 advisories or warnings since 2014 to various channels for violation of the Programme or Advertising Codes, the Parliament has been told.
These include four advisories to all channels of which two were issued this year, one relating to telecast of Republic Day events with accompaniment of sign language.
There were nineteen cases in 2014, 17 in 2015, 16 last year and three this year, the minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said.
In most cases, channels have been issued warnings or advisories and in some cases to run apology scrolls.
Permission to uplink and downlink private satellite TV channel is granted in accordance with the extant Policy Guidelines of Uplinking and downlinking of TV channels in India. Such permission holder companies, are required to abide by all the rules and regulations mentioned in the Policy Guidelines.
Whenever any information/complaints about alleged irregularities in the functioning of any TV channel or their allied companies comes to the notice of this ministry, action is taken on case to case basis, under the provisions of the Policy Guidelines.
In addition, all permitted broadcasters are required to ensure that all programmes and advertisements telecast on private satellite TV channels and transmitted/retransmitted through the Cable TV Network are required to adhere to the Programme and Advertisements Codes prescribed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulations) Act, 1995 and Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 framed thereunder.
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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the earlier paper-heavy system created under the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, which has since been repealed.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.
