Parliament passes 'Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023'

The Parliament has passed the 'Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023' with the Lok Sabha approving it yesterday. The Rajya Sabha has already cleared it. It repeals the 'Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867'. The Bill seeks to simplify the online process of title verification and registration of periodicals by the Press Registrar General of Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI). 

The Bill has provisions related to the circulation and verification of newspapers. It also has a provision for prior approval of the Central Government for the publication of facsimile editions of foreign periodicals in India.

According to the Bill, a publisher of a periodical may make an application to the Press Registrar General for revision of particulars of the certificate of registration, or for revision of title. The Bill has a provision for the Appellate Board, to be called the 'Press and Registration Appellate Board' consisting of the Chairperson, Press Council of India and two members to be nominated by the Press Council of India, from among its members.  

The proposed legislation is based on the spirit of upholding media freedom and ease of doing business by making the entire process of allotment of title and registration of periodicals simple and simultaneous, through an online system without the requirement of any physical interface. Importantly, the publishers would no longer be required to file a declaration with the District Magistrate, or the local authorities, or get such declaration authenticated by such authorities. 

Furthermore, printing



presses would also not be required to furnish any such declaration, instead an intimation by the printer would be sufficient. 

 

Replying to the discussion on the Bill, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said, it is aimed at providing ease of doing business, ease of living and promoting Digital India. He said the bill is simple and it has only 22 clauses instead of 57 clauses in the bill brought by the previous Congress government. 

He said, the media has an important role in a democracy and the media should not be suppressed. He alleged that under Congress party rule, the press was muzzled. The Minister highlighted several provisions of the Bill saying this bill covers only periodicals and newspapers, not the books. 

 

Earlier, initiating the discussion on the Bill, Nishikant Dubey of BJP supported it and suggested the establishment of a Tribunal for grievance redressal. Another BJP MP Ramkripal Yadav said the registration process has been simplified and can be done in one step removing the existing lengthy process. 

BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab said that media has undergone tremendous change and the Bill only has provisions for print media. He sought to know the provisions which the government is bringing for social media and electronic media.

 

Syed Imtiaz Jaleel of AIMIM claimed that the Bill focuses less on registration and more on regulation. He expressed concern that the Bill can have an adverse impact on freedom of the press.