I&B Ministry
MIB stresses on digital, connectivity revolution; Google Play govt schemes
NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has said the endeavour of the Government is to improve delivery systems, need to promote digital transformation and take forward the connectivity revolution in all sectors.
Speaking after the release of the Government of India Calendar 2017, he lauded the growth of the Indian print media and said it continued its growth story at a steady rate of 5.13% over the previous year. Earlier, Naidu launched the Government of India Digital Calendar 2017 App. He added that the calendar App could be downloaded from Google Play store free of cost.
A total of 5,423 new publications had been registered during the year 2015-16 with the total number of Registered Publications as on 31 March 2016 standing at 1, 10,851.
Giving the Circulation-wise details, Naidu said that Hindi publications continued to lead with 31,44,55,106 copies per publishing day followed by English with 6,54,13,443 copies and Urdu with 5,17,75,006 copies per publishing day.
He said the phenomenal growth of the print media sector had mandated changes in the print media policy/guidelines in the past years. The need to update policies keeping in mind the changing dynamics in the print media sector, has resulted in evolving a robust mechanism for RNI to maintain an updated list of Publications in the Country. This mechanism also facilitated weeding out illegal publications that may prove to be an irritant to law-enforcement agencies.
Referring to the New Print Advertisement Policy framework, the Minister said that it provided for circulation verification Procedure for empanelment of Newspapers and Journals with DAVP. The procedure involved certification by RNI if circulation exceeds 45,000 copies per publishing day.
He said the vision of the Government was to position the nation on a sustainable growth trajectory. The Government is committed to bring about transformational changes in the country with the mantra of ‘Reform, Perform & Transform’.
The vision has been depicted in the Government of India Calendar 2017 with the theme “Mera Desh Badal Raha Hai, Aage Badh Raha Hai”.
He also released the Press in India Report 2015-16 prepared by the Registrar of Newspapers of India. Minister of state for information & broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore was also present on the occasion.
Naidu announced that the Government would be launching a 100 days campaign across the country on the theme of Good Governance from 25 December which marks the birthday of the former prime minister A B Vajpayee and is celebrated as Good Governance Day. Ministers, Members of the Parliament would be travelling across the country to highlight key initiatives of the Government that has been taken in the last two and a half years.
The Government Calendar meanwhile showcases various flagship schemes and initiatives of the Government identifying a different theme every month:
· Jan: Skilling India for Youth Led Development
· Feb: Empowering the Poor
· Mar: Sashakt Nari, Sashakt Bharat
· April: Futuristic India through Infrastructure Building
· May: MSME: India’s Economic Backbone
· June: Farmers: Bread Winners of our Nation
· July: Rural Electrification: Lightning Every Home
· Aug: Armed Forces: Pride of the Nation
· Sept: Cashless Transactions
· Oct: Swachh Bharat: New Vigour to Sanitation
· Nov: Corruption Free Governance
· Dec: Sugamya Bharat: Accessible India
The highlights of the Press in India Report is given below:
|
1 |
The Total Number of Registered Publications i) Newspaper category (Daily, Tri/Bi-weekly periodicities) ii) Periodicals category (other periodicities) |
1,10,851 16,136 94,715 |
|
2 |
The number of new publicationsregistered during 2015-16 |
5,423 |
|
3 |
Number of publications ceased during2015-16 |
15 |
|
4 |
Number of publications deregisteredduring 2015-16 |
22 |
|
5 |
Percentage of growth of total registered publications over the previous year |
5.13 % |
|
6 |
The largest number of publications registered in any Indian language (Hindi) |
44,557 |
|
7 |
The second largest number of publications registered in any languageother than Hindi (English) |
14,083 |
|
8 |
The State with the largest number ofregistered publications (Uttar Pradesh) |
16,984 |
|
9 |
The State with the second largest number of registered publications(Maharashtra) |
15,260 |
|
10 |
The number of publications that submitted Annual Statements (This figure includes 1,341 Misc. publications) |
27,445 |
|
11 |
The total claimed circulation of publications during 2015-16 i) Hindi Publications ii) English Publications iii) Urdu Publications iv) Marathi v) Gujarati vi) Telugu vii) Odiya viii) Malayalam ix) Tamil x) Kannada xi) Punjabi xii) Assamese xiii) Kashmiri |
61,02,38,581 31,44,55,106 6,54,13,443 5,17,75,006 3,67,88,737 2,88,28,334 2,76,45,134 2,03,12,592 1,55,57,673 93,39,722 64,85,082 59,31,641 13,90,759 1,37,450 |
|
12 |
The largest number of publications that submitted Annual Statements in any Indian language (Hindi). |
14,316 |
|
13 |
The second largest number of publications that submitted Annual Statements in any language (English). |
2,174 |
|
14 |
The largest circulated Daily: “Ananda Bazar Patrika”, Bengali, Kolkata. |
11,50,038 |
|
15 |
The Second largest circulated Daily:“Hindustan Times” English, Delhi. |
9,92,239 |
|
16 |
The largest circulated Hindi Daily:“Punjab Kesari”, Jalandhar |
7,36,399 |
|
17 |
The largest circulated Multi-edition Daily: “Dainik Bhaskar”, Hindi. (45 editions) |
46,14,939 |
|
18 |
The second largest circulated Multi-edition Daily: “The Times of India”, English. (33 editions) |
44,21,374 |
|
19 |
The largest circulated Periodical: “The Sunday Times of India”, English/Weekly edition, Delhi. |
8,02,466 |
|
20 |
The largest circulated Periodical inMalayalam: “Vanitha”,Malayalam/Fortnightly edition, Kottayam. |
6,94,291 |
|
21 |
Total Title Applications Received Titles Approved |
20,999 12,817 |
|
22 |
Titles Deblocked during 2015-16 (As they did not apply for registration within 2 years) |
7,754 |
I&B Ministry
Akashvani opens airwaves to creative talents with fresh programme proposals
India’s public broadcaster invites creators to pitch new audio content for 2026
NEW DELHI: India’s iconic public service broadcaster, Akashvani, is tuning into a new frequency of creativity. In a move to spruce up its audio offerings, Prasar Bharati has officially invited independent producers, production houses, and content creators to pitch fresh programme proposals for the national network.
The Notice Inviting Programme Proposals (NIPP) aims to diversify the broadcaster’s “programme bouquet” by sourcing high-quality, innovative audio content from external experts. Whether you are a storyteller or a music maestro, the airwaves are officially open for business.
Akashvani is looking for a variety of audio flavours to keep listeners hooked. The wish list includes:
Radio dramas and plays: Engaging series that bring stories to life.
Audio features: Documentaries and innovative audio formats.
Digital-first content: Podcasts and modern storytelling series.
Music and knowledge: Classical, folk, and light music, alongside quiz competitions.
The programmes, which can be in Hindi, English, or various regional languages , must be delivered in “bite-sized” episodes of either 14 or 28 minutes.
Creators can choose from three distinct partnership models:
Revenue sharing mode (RSM): A collaborative approach where production costs are borne by the creator, and advertising revenue is split. If the producer handles the marketing, they keep a 70% share; if Akashvani takes the lead, the producer receives 65%.
Sponsored mode: Perfect for those with their own brand backing. Producers pay a fee and receive free commercial time to promote their sponsors.
Gratis mode: For creators looking to reach a massive audience without financial exchange.
Don’t reach for the microphone just yet. All proposals will be grilled by an Evaluation Committee based on a strict 100 point scoring matrix. Judges will be looking at creative treatment, script quality, sound design, and the “commercial potential” of the idea. Only those scoring 75 marks or higher will make the cut.
Once an agreement is signed with the Prasar Bharati head of programme , successful applicants must maintain a healthy “episode bank” to ensure the show goes on without a hitch.
Hopefuls have until 31 May 2026 to submit their ideas. Proposals should be sent via email to the respective Nodal Office or Cluster Head. All content must strictly adhere to the AIR Broadcast Code and the Commercial Advertising Code of All India Radio.
This initiative marks a significant step for Prasar Bharati as it seeks to blend traditional broadcasting with modern, regional, and innovative audio trends. For those with a story to tell or a song to share, it is time to give the public a reason to listen.
