I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati reviewing contract with Press Trust of India
NEW DELHI: Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati is said to be reconsidering its equation with news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) and is learnt to have sent a letter to the news agency over its reporting.
PTI, one of the country’s largest and oldest news agencies, has come under fire for an interview, which was published earlier this week, with Chinese ambassador Sun Weidong. In the interview, Weidong blamed India for the ongoing border crisis in Ladakh and the violent face-off in Galwan Valley that killed 20 Indian soldiers.
The interview, the pubcaster said, was disseminated widely by PTI to its domestic subscribers and prominently shared with foreign entities.
Prasar Bharati stated that it is reviewing the need to continue their relationship in the wake of recent news reports that it alleged were "detrimental to India’s national interest and may have undermined the country’s territorial integrity."
It added that PTI "has conducted itself in a manner contrary to the values that the public broadcaster has been mandated to uphold." Because of this, the pubcaster is reconsidering being a patron of PTI. The news agency is substantially supported by the public broadcaster through huge annual fees towards subscriptions which is around Rs 9 crore. It has repeatedly refused to review the terms and condition of the contract since 2016-2017.
This seems to not have been the first time as Prasar Bharati claims that it has been time and again alerting PTI on "editorial lapses resulting in dissemination of wrong news harming public interest."
Prasar Bharati will convey its decision soon.
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the earlier paper-heavy system created under the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, which has since been repealed.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.
