Parliament nod to bill to simplify newspaper registration process

PTI, New Delhi, Dec 21, 2023 :  Parliament on Thursday passed a bill to replace a British-era law governing publishing industry and simplify the process of registration of periodicals.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023, which was passed by voice vote in the Lok Sabha, will make the registration of periodicals a one-step process as against the eight-step process in the archaic law.

The bill replaces the Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act, 1867.

“This bill is simple, smart and has a simultaneous process for registration of newspapers and periodicals. Earlier newspapers or magazines had to pass through an eight-step registration process. This can now be done at the click of a button,” he said.

The Rajya Sabha had passed the bill on August 3. 

“This invoice is easy, sensible and has a simultaneous course of for registration of newspapers and periodicals. Earlier newspapers or magazines needed to cross by an eight-step registration course of. This will now be performed on the click on of a button,” Thakur stated.

He stated newspapers and periodicals will now have the ability to get registered inside two months as in opposition to the two-three years required earlier.

“The Invoice displays yet one more step of the Modi authorities in direction of jettisoning the mentality of slavery and bringing new legal guidelines for ‘new India’,” Thakur stated.

The minister slammed the earlier Congress governments for persevering with with the colonial-era regulation enacted by the British to curb freedom fighters from beginning newspapers.

Thakur stated the brand new Invoice seeks to decriminalise six provisions of the earlier regulation barring one which pertains to a six-month jail time period for publishing newspapers or periodicals with out registration with the federal government.

The minister stated in circumstances of publishing a newspaper with out registration the availability of jail time period comes into pressure if the writer fails to adjust to the route of the Press Registrar to cease publication inside six months.

The Invoice empowers the Press Registrar Common to impose penalties of as much as Rs 5 lakh for publishing periodicals with out registration and as much as Rs 20,000 for first penalty for failing to furnish annual assertion throughout the specified time.

“The precedence of the federal government is to finish criminality, enhance ease of doing enterprise and ease of residing by new legal guidelines and accordingly, efforts have been made to considerably decriminalise the colonial-era statute,” Thakur stated.

He stated the earlier Congress-led authorities had made makes an attempt to amend the PRB Act of 1867 however the laws proposed was “equally harsh because the colonial-era regulation” with authorities permission required even to publish a school e-newsletter.

Thakur dismissed as baseless the apprehensions voiced by AIMIM member Imtiaz Jaleel a few provision within the Invoice that seeks to empower the Press Registrar to enter the premises of a periodical and “examine or take copies of the related data or paperwork or ask any questions essential for acquiring any info required to be furnished”.

“The apprehensions of Jaleel sahab are baseless. You’ll be able to criticise the federal government as a lot as you want. No motion has been taken, however when you work in opposition to nationwide curiosity then the regulation will take its personal course,” Thakur stated.

Earlier, taking part within the debate on Invoice, BJP member Nishikant Dubey needed the federal government to nominate a nodal officer to curb malpractices the place in YouTube channel operators search to take pleasure in blackmail, or small newspapers crop up throughout elections to avail of advertisments.

BJP MP Ganesh Singh additionally needed the federal government to place in place a system to control social media, which is used to blackmail politicians.

BJD member Bhratruhari Mahtab flagged the difficulty of improve in value of newsprint. That is placing a pressure on the newspaper business which was already going through challenges from the audio-visual media and social media, the MP stated.

YSRCP member Ok G Madhav and Shiv Sena member Rahul Shewale needed the federal government to take steps to take care of the menace of fakenews.