I&B Ministry
MIB permits Sun TV, Star India to rename channels
MUMBAI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has approved a total of four applications from Star India and Sun TV to rename their channels.
The newly renamed channels are Star Sports 1 Bangla, Star Sports 1 Marathi, Sun Marathi and Sun Bangla.
In a bid to showcase animated movies to the viewers, Star India had earlier planned to launch Star Movies Kids SD and HD, which has now been renamed to Star Sports 1 Marathi.
Star Sports 1 Bangla launched on 5 March with an MRP of Rs 19. Apart from this, the broadcaster had launched three more channels—Star Sports 3, Star Sports 1 Telugu and Star Sports 1 Kannada.
Likewise, Sun TV got the nod from MIB to rename Udaya News and Gemini News to Sun Marathi and Sun Bangla respectively. Earlier, it was reported that Sun TV Network will be investing Rs 300 crore in the coming years to launch regional channels in Bengali and Marathi. While the Bengali channel was to go on air from February onwards, the Marathi channel will be up in a year's time.
So far, Sun TV has been focused on the five South Indian states — Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana — and has 33 channels.
Sun TV group CFO S L Narayanan said, "After the launch of the Bengali channel, the Marathi channel is expected to be launched in the next one year. Both of these channels are expected to achieve their break-even in two years of operations."
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the earlier paper-heavy system created under the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, which has since been repealed.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.
