I&B Ministry
I&B, BIS officials to meet 20 August to discuss DTH set top standards
NEW DELHI: Officials from the information and broadcasting ministry and the Bureau of Indian Standards are slated to meet on 20 August. The agenda: to discuss the standards and specifications for the set-top boxes for direct-to-home TV service on KU band.
According to an I&B ministry official, the meeting is likely to take up the issue of STBs for a DTH service and whether an “open architecture”, as being advocated by the government in this regard, will work.
When contacted, BIS officials, while confirming the meting with I&B ministry officials, however, refused to give out any details saying only after the meeting was held could anything further be said.
It may be mentioned here that the BIS is also stipulating the technical standards for the STBs that will be needed if conditional access system is implemented.
Still, industry experts pointed out that the government’s stand on insisting on an “open architecture” for a DTH service may not be technically possible as every encryption (of TV signals) is a proprietary technology.
The experts also pointed out that an “open architecture” can be possible in a scenario when all the DTH service providers (if there is more than one in India) go in for a common encryption – a scenario which is highly unlikely as a DTH service is sold to consumers on the basis of exclusive and premium programming which one broadcaster would not like to share with another or the competition. This is also likely to be the message that the BIS would be conveying to the ministry officials during the proposed meting and meetings subsequent to that.
Up till now only two companies have filed applications seeking a DTH licence, almost over 18 months after the government announced the DTH policy guidelines.
The two companies are Space TV, having affiliation with the Rupert Murdoch-controlled Star and Agrani, a satellite company controlled by the promoter of Zee Telefilms, Subhash Chandra.
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.
