I&B Ministry
Pahlaj Nihalani defends postponement of CBFC meet
NEW DELHI: A meeting of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) slated to take place in Delhi was postponed because the agenda had not yet been decided upon, Board chairman Pahlaj Nihalani said.
Nihalani told Indiantelevision.com that it was erroneous to say that the meeting had been cancelled. He also said that the format of the workshop normally held when new members join had not yet been worked out.
Reacting to media reports, he denied that there was anything ‘crucial’ about the meeting as it was to be a normal meeting, which discussed routine matters and the way forward. “It would be wrong to read meanings into the postponement,” he added.
He also said that it was felt that a workshop worked better in Mumbai as the infrastructure needed for this was available in the CBFC headquarters in the western metropolis.
Earlier, reports said that some members were upset at the sudden manner in which the meeting was put off through what they called a ‘curt notice’ from the chairman.
Members felt that the meeting would have been important as it was slated to be held in Delhi in the presence of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry officials and Minister of State Rajyavardhan Rathore.
Nihalani had informed Board members on 5 June of his decision to postpone the 9 June meeting. However, some members felt that a meeting had to be called soon, regardless of Nihalani’s absence.
Some members had also hoped to draw the attention of the Ministry to what they considered the “authoritarian manner” of the chairman.
Nihalani’s note said, “The 139th Board Meeting-cum-workshop, which was likely to be held on 9 June 2015 at Delhi has been postponed. The new date and time will be intimated to you shortly.”
In a telephonic chat with this correspondent, Nihalani said, “The agenda was not fixed and circulated. Neither was the venue fixed. Under such circumstances, I had to call this off.”
When reminded that the meeting had been fixed three weeks in advance, he said Board members required sufficient time to gather together.
“The new Board members appointed by the BJP government and that includes me, have met once and the Board meets four times a year,” Nihalani added.
As the Board is a statutory body, a Ministry official said the Ministry would not like to interfere in its affairs.
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.
