I&B Ministry
Legislation soon to accord ‘Institute of Eminence’ status to FTII, SRFTI: MIB
NEW DELHI: A separate legislation may be brought in Parliament to give both, the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune and the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata, status of ‘Institute of National Importance,’ Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar has said.
His predecessors have been promising status of ‘Institution of National Importance’ not only to FTII and SRTFI but also the Indian Institute of Mass Communications for more than a decade, but this is the first time there has been talks of a separate legislation for the purpose.
During his first visit to Pune, the Minister made it clear to its director and staff that he would ensure that funds availability would not be a problem for this premier institute. Javadekar held a discussion with director DJ Narain and the staff members, faculty and students.
Addressing a press conference, he said FTII would be revamped with state of the art technology and there would not be any paucity of budget for the same. He said the Centre would give highest priority to accord FTII and the SRFTI.
Interacting with students and faculty members of the FTII, he said the government would hold discussions with all stakeholders before finalising the draft of new Cinematograph Act.
Narain informed media that according such a status would result in the recognition to FTII degrees in the field of academics and trained professionals from the institute would be able to pursue higher education abroad.
Meanwhile, the Minister said while harnessing the potential of thousands of exotic locations all over the country for film shootings, the stumbling block is of payment gateway. For this, he added, that a single window system for clearance should also include a payment gateway.
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.
