What is Press and Registration of Periodicals Act (PRP Act), 2023?

About Press and Registration of Periodicals Act (PRP Act), 2023

• It has replaced the colonial era Press and Registration of Books Act dating back to 1867.
• The office of Press Registrar General of India – PRGI (erstwhile Registrar of Newspapers for India – RNI) shall be carrying out the purposes of the new Act.
• It provides for an online system for facilitating the registration of newspapers and other periodicals in the country. 
• The new system replaces the existing manual, cumbersome processes involving multiple steps and approvals at various stages, which were causing unnecessary hardships to the publishers.
• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had launched the Press Sewa Portal ((presssewa.prgi.gov.in), the online portal of the Press Registrar General, for receiving various applications as mandated by the new Act.
• All applications, including the intimation by the printer of a periodical, application for registration of a facsimile edition of a foreign periodical, the application by a publisher for obtaining a certificate of registration of a periodical, application for revision of certificate of registration, application for transfer of ownership of periodicals, furnishing annual statement by the publisher of a periodical, and procedure for desk audit for verification of circulation of a periodical will be online through the Press Sewa Portal.
• Accordingly, publishers intending to bring out periodicals need to register their titles before publishing them.
• Notably, the PRP Act exempts books and journals from the purview of registration necessitated by the old PRB Act, focusing solely on periodicals, which are defined as publications, including newspapers, published and printed at regular intervals containing public news or commentary, but excluding scientific, technical, and academic books or journals.

Q1) What is the Press Registrar General of India?

Press and Registration of Periodicals Act (PRP Act), 2023 provides for the central government to appoint a Press Registrar who maintains a register of newspapers. The Bill provides for the Press Registrar General of India who will issue registration certificates for all periodicals. Other functions of the Press Registrar General include: (i) maintaining a register of periodicals, (ii) making guidelines for the admissibility of title of periodicals, (iii) verifying circulation figures of prescribed periodicals, and (iv) revising, suspending, or canceling registration.

Source: New PRP Act 2023 comes into effect, registration of periodicals goes online