I&B Ministry
Jagran Prakashan receives approval from MIB for Radio City acquisition
BENGALURU: Jagran Prakashan has informed the bourses that it has received approval from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B Ministry) today for the acquisition of Radio City.
The text of the announcement on BSE reads as follows: “With reference to the earlier letter dated December 16, 2014 regarding share purchase agreement entered by the Company on December 16, 2014 with the owners of Music Broadcast Private Limited (MBPL) for acquisition of Radio City, which was subject to approval from Ministry of Information Broadcasting(MIB), Jagran Prakashan Ltd has now informed BSE that as communicated by MBPL, the approval of MIB has been received for the same vide letter dated May 28, 2015.”
In December last year, Jagran Prakashan had announced that it had entered into an agreement with Radio City and was awaiting an approval from the Ministry since then.
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the earlier paper-heavy system created under the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, which has since been repealed.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.
