Registration of Newspapers and Periodicals Goes Online Through Press Sewa Portal
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has notified the historic Press & Registration of Periodicals Act (PRP Act), 2023, and its Rules in its Gazette. The Act came into effect on March 1, 2024.
From now on, the registration of periodicals will be governed by the provisions of the PRP Act and the Press and Registration of Periodicals Rules. The office of the Press Registrar General of India (PRGI), formerly known as the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI), will carry out the purposes of the new Act.
In line with the ethos of Digital India, the new Act provides for an online system through the Press Sewa Portal (https://pib.gov.in/Allrel.aspx) to facilitate the registration of newspapers and other periodicals in the country. This new system replaces the existing manual, cumbersome processes, which involved multiple steps and approvals, causing hardship for publishers.
Earlier, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, launched the Press Sewa Portal for receiving various applications as mandated by the new Act. All applications, including those for printer intimation, facsimile edition registration, certificate of registration, revision of registration, ownership transfer, annual statement submission, and desk audit verification, can be submitted online through the Press Sewa Portal.
The Press Sewa Portal ensures paperless processing and offers services with an e-sign facility, digital payment gateway, QR code-based digital certificates for instant download, an online system for printing press intimation, title availability probability, online access to registration data, and annual statement filing. It also plans to implement a chatbot-based grievance resolution mechanism. The Press Sewa portal is accompanied by a new website (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registrar_of_Newspapers) with all related information and a user-friendly interface.
The new PRP Act removes books and journals from the purview of registration, unlike the old PRB Act. The new Act defines a periodical as "any publication, including a newspaper, which is published and printed at regular intervals containing public news or comments on public news but does not include a book or a journal of scientific, technical, and academic nature." Therefore, "books, or journals including books or journals of scientific, technical, and academic nature" do not require registration with PRGI.
As per the new Act, all applications for registration of periodicals must be made online through the Press Sewa Portal only. Accordingly, publishers intending to publish periodicals need to register their title before publication. As the registration process is online and guided by the software, the chances of discrepancies in the application are significantly reduced, resulting in faster processing. The application status will be updated at all stages and communicated to the applicant through SMS and email, ensuring transparency and eliminating delays due to miscommunication.
The steps involved in registering periodicals through the new Press Sewa Portal are as follows:
Signing Up and Profile Creation by the Owner: The owner of the proposed periodical must sign up and create a profile on the Press Sewa Portal by providing relevant documents and details, along with five proposed titles in order of preference. These titles must not be the same or similar to any existing title of another periodical in India, regardless of language, and must comply with the guidelines set by the Press Registrar General.
Simultaneous Submission to PRGI and District Authority: Applications submitted through the Press Sewa Portal will be accessible to both the PRGI and the specified authority in the district simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate submissions.
Inviting Publishers: After creating a profile, the owner invites designated publishers associated with the periodical through the portal.
Signing Up and Online Intimation by the Printer: The printer (owner/keeper of the printing press) must create an online account on the Press Sewa Portal by furnishing the required details.
Signing Up and Profile Creation by the Publisher: Invited publishers must create their
