REGISTRAR OF NEWSPAPERS FOR INDIA
- The Office of the Registrar of Newspaper for India (RNI) came into being on 1st July 1956, on the recommendation of the first Press Commission in 1953 and by amending the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867.
- The Registrar of Newspaper for India, commonly known as the Press Registrar, is required, to submit an Annual Report to Government every year on the status of newspapers.
- The period for which the annual report was to be submitted, was changed from the calendar year to financial year in 2002.
- Odisha has the destination of publishing newspapers/periodicals in 21 major languages.
- Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra came next with 14, 13 and 11 major languages.
- The total number of registered publications, as on 31st March, 2013 was 94,067 with Newspaper category account for 12,511 and Periodicals category 81,556.
PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU
- PIB is the nodal agency of the Government of India to disseminate information to the print and electronic media on government policies, programmes, initiatives.
- PIB has its Headquarters in New Delhi.
- PIB has a dedicated unit for the and media support to the Prime Minister’s office.
- The Press Information Bureau has been implementing the scheme of Journalist Welfare Fund. The revised scheme provides one time ex-gratia relief on urgent basis to journalists and their families suffering from hardship.
NEWS AGENCIES
- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA: Founded in August, 1947, PTI began functioning from 1 February 1949. PTI offers its news services in English and Hindi languages. Bhasha is the Hindi language news service of the agency.
- UNITED NEWS OF INDIA: Incorporated under the Companies Act on 19 December, 1959 and started functioning effectively on 21 March, 1961. It became the first news agency in India to launch a full-fledged Hindi wire service ’UNIVARTA’ in 1982 and a Photo Service and a Graphics Service in the same decade. In June 1992, it launched the first-ever wire service in Urdu.
- NAM NEWS NETWORK: It is the Internet-based news and photo exchange arrangement of the news agencies belonging to member countries of the non- aligned movement. Malaysian news agency Bernama is at present handling the operation of the website from Kuala Lumpur. Formally launched in April 2006, NNN replaces the Non-aligned News Agencies Pool (NANAP) which was set up in 1976 to provide for exchange of news among its member countries.
PRESS COUNCIL OF INDIA
- The Press Council of India was set up in the year 1966 on the recommendations of the First Press Commission.
- In the discharge functions of preserving the freedom of the press and maintaining and improving the standards of the press.
- It acts as a quasi judicial authority with all powers of the civil court which on the other, in its advisory capacity; it guides the press as well as the authorities on any matter that may have a bearing on the freedom of the press and on its preservation.
- The Press Council is headed by a Chairman who has by convention been a sitting or retired Judge of the Supreme Court of India alongwith of 28 members, representing the press (20), MP5 (3 Lok Sabha and 2 Rajya Sabha) and remaining three representing the cultural, literary and legal fields and therefore nominated by the Sahitya Academy, University Grants Commission and the Bar Council of India respectively.
- Its decisions are final and cannot be challenged in any court of law except by way of writ petitions.
- Press Council of India has been set up under an Act of Parliament while parallel institutions in most countries of the world are mostly voluntary organizations.
- Press and Registration Board consists of a Chairman and another member to be nominated by the Press Council of India from among its members.
- November 16 is celebrated as of National Press Day. Focus of the National Press Day, 2013 centered around “Role of Media in Serving the Public Interest.“
