Union Cabinet gives nod to Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill that seeks to do away with the provision for prosecution and imprisonment of publishers and simplify the registration process for periodicals.

The Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill will replace the Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act, 1867 that governs the registration of print and publishing industry in the country.

The new Bill seeks to provide a simple online system for registration of periodicals with the Registrar of Newspapers for India.

"The aim of the Bill is to bring transparency and ease of doing business. It will provide for a process which is simple through an online system without human interface. The step will help small and medium publishers," a senior official said.

The Bill also seeks to do away with two provisions that required the publishers and printers to file a declaration before the district magistrate. It also seeks to do away with the penal provisions of the PRB Act which made improper declaration of information a punishable offence with a prison term of up to six months.

The new Bill also provides for an appellate authority.

Currently, a person wanting to start a newspaper has to submit an application with the district collector, who sends it to the Registrar of Newspapers in India (RNI) to check for title availability.

The registration process moves forward only after the RNI conveys the availability of the title to the collector, who then administers the oath to the person keen on starting the newspaper as per provisions of the PRB Act.

The new Bill also seeks to move this process of checking title availability online, thereby reducing the time required for registration of newspapers and periodicals significantly.