Meets Publishers, Editors Delegation
New Delhi: Union Information and Broadcasting, Railways, and Electronics & IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed necessary steps to address the ongoing issues faced by newspapers across the country. He gave these instructions to the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI) and the Director-General of the Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) after meeting with a delegation of the All India Newspaper Publishers Editors Association (AINPEA) on Tuesday. The delegation was led by Kamal Kishore, coordinator and senior editor, and included Ashok Kumar, Ram Ambasht, Ved Prakash, Himanshu Shekhar, Madhukar Singh, Nityanand Shukla, Deven Rai, Dinesh Kumar, Sanjay Poddar, Saket Kumar, Kaustubh Kishore, Mohd Kabir, Shami Ahmed, Faiz Akram, and Khurshid Ahmed.
The delegation met the Minister at Rail Bhawan in Delhi to present the current challenges faced by newspapers and to demand prompt action from the government.
During the meeting, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw listened to the delegation’s concerns and assured them of prompt relief. He instructed officials to immediately suspend the complicated provisions of the PRGI Act 2023, which have been causing operational difficulties for many newspapers. Vaishnaw emphasized the government’s commitment to maintaining independent and unbiased journalism, noting the crucial role of small and medium newspapers in India’s democracy. He assured publishers that amendments to the PRGI Act 2023 would be made soon to ensure smooth operations for newspapers.
Following the meeting with the Minister, the delegation also met Bhupendra Kanthola, Press Registrar of India, and Y.K. Baveja, Director-General of CBC, at the Information Building. In the ione-and-a-half-hour discussion, the Press Registrar assured publishers that necessary amendments to the PRGI Act would be made, and the period for circulation verification would be extended. The Director-General of the CBC also assured publishers that the duration of rate card issued by CBC would be reconsidered to help newspapers recover from financial difficulties.
The introduction of the PRGI Act 2023 had created an existential crisis for many small and medium-sized newspapers due to its complex provisions. To address these issues, the All India Newspaper Publishers Editors Association (AINPEA) was formed. The association’s first meeting was held in Ranchi, and it was decided that representatives from various states would meet Union ministers to present their concerns and request resolution.