I&B Ministry
Sushma Swaraj will be remembered as one of the most efficient I&B ministers of India
MUMBAI: It was a sad day for Indian politics, yesterday, as one of the most vibrant politicians of her time succumbed to a heart attack. Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj will be remembered as one of the greatest orators and one of the most efficient Minister of External Affairs that the Union of India has had. Her presence on Twitter during her tenure as MEA in the previous government had also got her a lot of praise.
But Swaraj, before becoming the MEA in the 2014-2019 government had a very interesting political career, and her role as Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), between 2000 and 2003, will remain one of the key highlights of it.
One of her biggest achievements as I&B minister was passing of (Conditional Access System) CAS Bill in 2002, which made it mandatory for consumers to install a set-top box allowing them to pay for only those channels that they want to watch. The maximum price for the basic tier of service comprising free-to-air channels would be determined by the government under the bill.
Also, it was under her tenure as I&B minister that the Indian entertainment sector, including films, was declared as an industry, making it eligible to get loans from financial institutions.
She also actively batted for the introduction of FDI in Indian publications, which none of her predecessors spoke of after it was banned in 1955. She had said in the year 2002 that with the introduction of the internet, the government is planning to look into the matter.
Swaraj had also held the post of Minister of Information, Broadcasting, and Telecommunications for a short term between March 1998 and October 1998.
She breathed her last in national capital Delhi on 6 August following a cardiac arrest.
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.
