As per Press and Registration of Periodicals (PRP) Act, 2023, all applications for registration of periodicals are processed digitally through Press Sewa Portal. Accordingly, all physical records of registration of newspapers (more than 1.5 lakh) which were created under the Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act, 1867 (now repealed) have been digitized and made part of the Press Sewa Portal. Currently, services such as registration of new periodicals, revision of registration of existing periodicals, ownership transfer of periodicals, filing of Annual Statement, payment of penalty online, Circulation Verification of Periodicals etc. are being processed through Press Sewa Portal. As part of the implementation of the Act, Specified Authorities of 780 Districts have been onboarded on Press Sewa Portal. Since 1st March 2024, 11,081 applications have been processed, and certificates have been issued for relevant categories.

A detailed list of penalty imposed and paid through Press Sewa portal is attached at Annexure-I and a detailed state-wise list of number of such periodicals that have been cancelled is attached at Annexure-II. The Government continuously assesses impact of its various initiatives and programmes. Press Registrar General of India (PRGI) continuously takes feedback and action to facilitate better services through the portal.

The list of registered newspapers/periodicals is available on PRGI’s website i.e. https://prgi.gov.in/ under “Registered Titles” tab under “Our Services” Head.

The information was submitted today in the Lok Sabha in a written reply to Shri. Damodar Agrawal by Dr. L. Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs.

****

Mahesh Kumar/ Vivek Vishwash