I&B Ministry
TV channels’ annual renewal abolished; 963 companies to benefit
MUMBAI: The Indian Government has decided to ease the annual renewal norms for TV channels, Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has said. About 963 channels, including teleports, are going to be benefitted by this decision.
The government is committed to the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote ease of doing business, PTI. reported. “As part of the government’s initiative of ease of doing business, the Ministry has completely done away with the process of obtaining an annual renewal for TV channels in the current form,” he said while addressing the Economic Editors’ Conference in New Delhi.
The government has decided to ease the “annual renewal” norms for TV channels and existing broadcasters can continue operations by simply paying annual permission fee 60 days before the due date, Naidu said on Friday.
Naidu said that “broadcasters who have been given the permission for uplinking or downlinking can continue their operations by simply paying the annual permission fee which by itself will be treated as permission for continuation of a channel for a further period of one year.”
Naidu hailed Modi’s move to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes saying that it was being appreciated by all excepted a few with “vested” interests. Terming the move as an “historic” step, Naidu said that it was fine for TV channels to show the inconvenience caused to the people after the announcement was made but was not fair to “dwell” on it.
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the earlier paper-heavy system created under the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867, which has since been repealed.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.
