I&B Ministry
India examining new techs like mobile b’cast:I&B minister
NEW DELHI: Information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi today said that India is examining opportunities being thrown up by newer technologies like mobile broadcasting.
Inaugurating the 12th International Conference & Exhibition on terrestrial and satellite broadcasting, organized by BES, the minister said, We are closely examining the opportunities offered by technology such as mobile
broadcasting.
According to Dasmunshi, broadcasting is revolutionizing the world as it heads towards being a global village. Information is power, and India stands today in the forefront of the world economic forum, he added.
I&B secretary SK Arora, who presided over the inaugural function, was of the opinion that since the opening up of the broadcast sector to private participation 15 years ago, India has come a long way and the change is phenomenal.
He added, We are in the midst of an era of convergence today, where the thin line between telecommunications and broadcasting is gradually fading.
A total of 65 companies, representing 300 broadcast equipment manufacturers and solution providers from 25 countries across the globe, are participating in Broadcast Engineering Society Expo 2006.
Over the last 12 years, BES Expo has been providing a platform to showcase the latest broadcast equipment and emerging technologies in India.
Highlighting the importance of the theme of the conference `Broadcast Trends: Reaching the Unreached, Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma said that content should reach the masses in an unbiased manner.
Making a strong case for availability of content to all the people, which has its antecedents pubcaster Doordarshan constantly fighting for telecast rights to popular and money-spinning games like cricket, Sarma said, There is an urgent need for a regulator to regulate the content.
Referring to the ever increasing preference for DTH services in the country by the masses, Sarma said the total number of subscribers of Doordarshans (subscription-free) DTH service has reached five million.
Delivering the welcome address, BES president NS Ganesan informed that this years expo will have a live demo of emerging technologies like TV on mobile based on digital multimedia broadcasting and digital video
broadcasting-handheld.
Chairman of Korean Broadcasting Commission Sung Dai Noh was the other guest of honour today, while the keynote address was delivered by James Andrew Butler Sr., director of Public Broadcasting Service of the US.
More than 40,000 visitors and delegates from various broadcast houses, educational institutions, and satellite channel operators are expected to attend this years event.
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.
