I&B Ministry
Parliament’s Monsoon Session to begin from today
New Delhi: The monsoon session of the Parliament is all set to begin on Monday. The session will conclude on August 13. It will also be the first session for some of the newly inducted Cabinet ministers, including Anurag Thakur who was recently sworn in as the information and broadcasting minister.
This will also be the first session of parliament since the results of assembly polls in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. Last year, the monsoon session began in September and the winter session was not held due to the Covid-19 situation. According to the ministry of parliamentary affairs, during the 19 sittings of the session, 31 Government business items including 29 Bills and 2 financial items will be taken up. Six bills will be brought to replace the ordinances.
Lok Sabha will meet from 11 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm unless directed otherwise by Speaker Om Birla. Four days have been allotted for the transaction of private members’ business, which is taken up in the post-lunch session.
Parliamentary Affairs minister Shri Pralhad Joshi said that the Government is ready for discussion on any topic under the rules. Seeking full cooperation of all the parties in the smooth running of the houses, he said that there should be structured debate on the issues. An all-party meeting was held on Sunday to discuss the same.
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the earlier paper-heavy system created under the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, which has since been repealed.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.
