Rajya Sabha passes Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill

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

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed a bill that replaces the existing legislation which governs the registration of print and publishing industry in the country. The Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023 was passed by a voice vote.

Replying to the discussion on the bill, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said this will lead to ease of doing business for media and publishing companies, simplify the process of registration and decriminalise several colonial-era penal provisions.

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He observed that the bill traverses the journey from bureaucratic burden to ease of doing business.

“Those involved in terrorist activities or unlawful activities against the state will not be granted permission to start a paper or periodical,” he said.

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

The Union Cabinet last month approved the PRP Bill that seeks to simplify the registration process for periodicals and do away with the provision for prosecution and imprisonment of publishers and simplify the registration process for periodicals.

The new law also seeks to do away with two provisions that required the publishers and printers to file a declaration before the district magistrate. It further 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 according to 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.