Receive Intimation by the Printer/Printing Press

As per section 3 of the PRP Act, the printer of a periodical shall, within thirty days of starting a printing press for the publication of a periodical, send intimation on the Press Sewa Portal. The particulars and documents specified on the Portal have to be sent along with it, both to the Press Registrar General and the Specified Authority within whose jurisdiction the printing press is situated.

(2) After sending the intimation under sub-rule (1), in case of any change in the particulars mentioned in the initial intimation, the printer shall inform the Press Registrar General and the Specified Authority of the same.

(3)I In case of a change in the location of the printing press that falls under the jurisdiction of another Specified Authority, the printer shall send a fresh intimation to the Press Registrar General and to the new Specified Authority.  The printer shall also inform the original Specified Authority, all via the Press Sewa Portal.

Grant Certificate of Registration to a Periodical

A publisher, intending to start a periodical, shall make an online application to the Press Registrar General on the Press Sewa Portal along with such documents as may be specified therein, and a fee of one thousand rupees, payable via Bharat Kosh through any mode of payment specified therein, while ensuring adherence to the guidelines on Title Allotment issued by the Press Registrar General.

The submitted application will be forwarded by the Portal to the Specified Authority within whose local jurisdiction the periodical is proposed to be published for endorsement.

If the publisher wants to make any corrections, remove errors, or fill in omissions, he/she may do so within five days of furnishing the application under sub-rule (1).

On verification of the application, if the Press Registrar General finds any deficiencies, he shall, within seven working days of the receipt of the application, and the further time specified under sub-rule (4), issue an online communication to the publisher, specifying the deficiencies.

The publisher shall, within a period not exceeding thirty days of receiving the communication referred to in sub-rule (5), remove all deficiencies by submitting all requisite details and particulars on the Press Sewa Portal. Failure to do so within the specified period of thirty days shall render the application liable to be rejected by the Press Registrar General.

The Press Registrar General shall, after verifying the application for its adherence to the guidelines regarding the admissibility of the Title, and taking into consideration comments, if any, received from theSpecified Authority on the Press Sewa Portal, and  if satisfied that the deficiency has been removed, issue a certificate of registration to the publisher in the format specified on the Press Sewa Portal.  

If the application remains deficient or the deficiencies have not been removed by the publisher within the specified time, the Press Registrar General will issue an online communication to the publisher, providing the reasons as to why registration may not be granted; the publisher will get ten days to submit a reply on the Press Sewa Portal.

The Press Registrar General may, after taking into consideration the written reply of the publisher, under clause (b) of sub-rule (7), either grant or refuse to grant the certificate of registration of the periodical:

Revision in Registration particulars

If any revision in particulars of the certificate of registration granted to a publisher is required, the publisher may make an application on the Press Sewa Portal, along with documents specified therein. A fee of one thousand rupees/Rs 1000, is to be paid via Bharat Kosh through any of the specified modes of payment on the Portal.

The application for the revision of the certificate by the publisher may include the following changes:  

• Language of the periodical;
• Title of the periodical;
• Editor of the periodical;
• Printing press of the periodical;
• Place of publication of the periodical within the State or Union Territory;
• Periodicity of the periodical. 

If, on verification of the application it is found that there is change in the Specified Authority due to change in the place of publication, comments of the Specified Authority under whose jurisdiction the new place of publication is located will be obtained in sixty days period. On being satisfied with the correctness of all particulars in the application, the Registrar will issue a revised certificate of registration in respect of the periodical preferably within fifteen working days of obtaining comments of the Specified Authority and will send a copy to the Specified Authority .

Transfer of Ownership of a Periodical

Where the owner of a periodical in respect of which the certificate of registration has been granted intends to transfer the ownership of that periodical to any other person or entity, the person or entity, being the transferee, may apply for change of ownership of the periodical by making an application to the Press Registrar General on the Press Sewa Portal, along with the documents specified therein and a fee of rupees one thousand, payable via Bharat Kosh, through any mode of payment specified therein.   

The application made under sub-rule (1) shall also be sent by the new person to the Specified Authority  within whose local jurisdiction the principal place of business of the transferee is situated for endorsement, and it shall be sent online to the Specified Authority from the Press Sewa Portal. 

The Press Registrar General shall verify the application and obtain comments of the new Specified Authority within a period of sixty days from the date of the receipt of application, and after being satisfied about the correctness of the application, grant permission for change of ownership of the periodical. 

If after taking into consideration the comments of the Specified Authority and other factors, the Press Registrar General is of the opinion that permission for change of ownership may not be granted, he/she shall issue an online communication to the owner, providing reasons as to why such change of ownership may not be granted, and will give ten days to the owner to submit a written reply. 

The Press Registrar General may, after taking into consideration the written reply of the owner, either permit the change in ownership or refuse to grant permission for change in ownership: 

Where the application for transfer is limited only to the change in ownership of the periodical, the Press Registrar shall issue a revised certificate of registration. However, if  the change in ownership involves change in any other particulars of the periodical, the publisher or the new publisher, as the case may be, shall make an application for grant of registration in the manner provided in rule 5, within thirty days of the receipt of the permission for change of ownership granted undersub-rule (3). 

Discontinuation of a Periodical

When the owner of a periodical who has been granted a certificate of registration decides to discontinue the publication of the periodical, he/she shall, within six months of such discontinuation, send an online intimation on the Press Sewa Portal. 

Delivery of copies of Periodicals

The publisher shall, within forty-eight hours of publication of a newspaper, upload the electronic version of the newspaper on the Press Sewa Portal. 

The publisher is also required to deliver the physical copy of the newspaper to the office of  the Press Information Bureau located in that State or Union Territory in which the paper is being published, by the fifth day of every month, for the all the days for which the newspaper was published during the preceding month.   

Periodicals published in the National Capital Territory of Delhi are required to be delivered at the office of the Press Registrar General in New Delhi. 

Compliance of the above shall be taken into consideration to ascertain if  a newspaper is being published regularly. 

Annual Statement

All registered publications are required to furnish an annual statement by the 31st May of a calendar year, in respect of the preceding financial year, on the Press Sewa Portal.   

Penalties may be imposed on a publication for failure to file annual statement within the timelines specified in the PRP Act/Rules.

Circulation Verification

The Press Registrar General may verify the circulation figures of a periodical, in the manner laid down under the Press and Registration of Periodicals Rules, 2024, in respect of the following classes and categories of periodicals: 

• a daily newspaper, having an average circulation of twenty-five thousand copies or more each day, as reported in the annual statement furnished by the newspaper in the preceding two financial years, and is empanelled with the Central Bureau of Communication for the purpose of obtaining advertisements of the Central Government;
• a daily newspaper, having an average circulation of twenty-five thousand copies or more each day, as reported in the annual statement furnished by the newspaper in the preceding two financial years, and intends to be empanelled with the Central Bureau of Communication for the purpose of obtaining advertisements of the Central Government; and
• any other periodical which, in the opinion of the Press Registrar General, and for reasons to be recorded by him in writing, requires such verification, on the basis of any information, reference or complaint received by him in respect of that periodical. 

For the purposes of verifying the circulation of a periodical, the Press Registrar General or any officer of the Central Government so authorised by him, may undertake a desk audit of the information furnished by the publisher in the latest annual statement, in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Press Sewa Portal, and determine the circulation figures.   

The Press Registrar General may undertake verification of the circulation of a periodical by way of physical inspection of the documents and other information and records at the business premises of the publisher and the printing press.   

Facsimile Edition of a Foreign Periodical

“Facsimile Edition” of a periodical means an exact reproduction of the original edition of a foreign publication in English or an Indian language included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.   

Any entity which intends to publish a facsimile edition of a foreign periodical in India shall apply on the National Single Window System for obtaining approval from the Central Government for such publication, along with all particulars, documents and fee specified therein, in accordance with the guidelines available on that system. (2) The Central Government shall, after seeking such additional information as it deems necessary, grant approval to the entity for publication of the facsimile edition, subject to such terms and conditions as the Central Government may deem fit, and communicate the same to the entity on the National Single Window System. 

In case the Central Government is of the opinion that approval cannot be granted, it shall, by a written order, convey its decision, along with reasons for refusal, and shall communicate the same to the entity on the National Single Window System.  

The entity shall, within fifteen days of grant of approval under sub-rule (2), make an application to the Press Registrar General on the Press Sewa Portal for the grant of the certificate of registration for publication of the facsimile edition of the foreign periodical in India, along with such documents as may be specified on the Press Sewa Portal, and a fee of rupees ten thousand, payable to Bharat Kosh through any mode of payment specified therein.   

The Press Registrar General shall verify the application, and after satisfying itself of the correctness of the application and of the additional information, if any, obtained from the entity, and taking into consideration the comments, if any, of the Central Government, issue a certificate of registration to the entity for the publication in India of the facsimile edition of the foreign periodical.   

The entity shall commence publication of the facsimile edition in India only after it is granted a certificate of registration. If the entity has commenced publication of the facsimile edition before the grant of the certificate, the Press Registrar General may refuse to grant the certificate of registration to such entity, and it would inform the Central Government about such publication.  

The Central Government may, on its own or based on information received from the Press Registrar General, or any other authority regarding the publication of the facsimile edition in India before the grant of the certificate of registration suspend or cancel the approval granted by it to such entity. 

Suspension and Cancellation of a Periodical

The Press Registrar General may, by order, for a period not less than thirty days but not exceeding one hundred and eighty days, suspend the certificate of registration of a periodical, if

• the registration was obtained on false representation or on concealment of any material fact;  
• the publisher has failed to publish the periodical continuously. Explanation.—For the removal of doubts, it is hereby clarified that if a periodical publishes less than half of its issues, as required to be published in a calendar year in accordance with the application made under sub-section (2) of section 7 of the PRP Act, 2023, such periodical shall be deemed to have failed to publish continuously;
• the publisher has given false particulars in the annual statement;  
• the publisher has failed to furnish the annual statement within two years from the end of the financial year for which the annual statement was to be furnished.  

The Press Registrar General may cancel the certificate of registration of a periodical, where the publisher fails to remove the defects on the basis of which the said certificate was suspended before the expiry of the period of such suspension.  

The Press Registrar General may, by order, cancel the certificate of registration of a periodical which— (a) bears the same or similar title already held by any other owner of a periodical, either in the same language anywhere in India or in any other language in the same State or Union territory; or (b) violates the guidelines made under sub-section (3) of section 7. 

The Press Registrar General may, by order, cancel the certificate of Registration of a periodical where the owner or publisher of the periodical has been convicted by any court for an offence— (a) involving terrorist act or unlawful activity; or (b) for having done anything against the security of the State. Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, the expressions "terrorist act" and "unlawful activity" shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in clauses (k) and (o) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.