A special workshop on the “Press Sewa Portal” was held in Ahmedabad for newspaper publishers, organized by the Press Registrar General of India (PRGI) in collaboration with the Press Information Bureau, Gujarat, and the Information Department, Government of Gujarat. Publishers/owners of newspapers, magazines, etc. published across the state participated.

At the Press Sewa Portal workshop, Shri K. K. Nirala, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Prashant Pathrabe, Additional Director General, PIB, Shri Dhiraj Kakadia, Additional Director General, PRGI, and Shri K. L. Bachani, Director of Information, State Information Department, were present as chief guests.

On the occasion, Shri K. K. Nirala said that the Ministry suggests that throughout India, at the district, taluka, and state levels, all publishers should take part in this registration process, get more information, and when new publishers come, they receive guidance. Speaking about the relevance of this workshop, he said that when a complaint comes to the Ministry or someone directly contacts, he is always surprised that despite such a simple process, feedback still comes in. This indicates that perhaps somewhere there is lack, and that lack comes due to lack of awareness. Filling that gap is everyone’s responsibility. Shri Nirala requested publishers to contact PRGI directly with their applications or questions and to use the available presentations and video clips for technical assistance. He appealed to all new and current publishers to join the workshop and to fully take advantage of the services offered by the government.

Shri Prashant Pathrabe, Additional Director General, PIB, in inaugurating the workshop, said that it is a privilege for him to be part of this workshop. He emphasized the role of media and said that media is the voice of public opinion. Media has an important role in conveying all information to citizens. That is why PRGI has a major responsibility in this context. It is important to simplify processes for publishers, empower them with modern tools, and link them with PRGI. He said that all publishers present should use this opportunity, know the processes in depth, so that if there is any obstacle or difficulty in publication in the future, it can be resolved quickly. Shri Pathrabe also thanked all district collectors for joining online.

At the workshop, quoting a Sanskrit shloka, Shri K. L. Bachani, Director of Information, said that “May the supreme gracious universal spirit lead excellent thought to us from all directions.” He said that this very thought may be one reason why this workshop is happening here. He said that after the law was enacted in 2023, it was thought to plan orientations in different 4 zones. Gujarat became an exception and perhaps this is the first seminar dedicated just for one state. He added that this portal is a publisher‑friendly portal. All schemes are included in it keeping publishers in mind. Regarding ease of doing business especially with title verification, registration, revision, in all these matters, going to the collector’s office, waiting for any official, waiting for approvals, and the time that delays creative time will all be removed through this. He said that both Gujarat and central government have consistently made coordinated efforts in this regard. In the past, Gujarat also received good response from the central government regarding small or large issues. He suggested to publishers that if in follow‑up of their question any solution is needed or if any discrepancy has arisen, bringing it to the attention of the Government of India might result in immediate small or large corrections.

Continuing the workshop, Shri Dhiraj Kakadia, Additional Director General, PRGI, gave a presentation giving all publishers a deep understanding of the Press Sewa Portal. This included how many processes such as online registration, renewal, name changes, ownership transfers can be done in less time. In the presentation, Shri Gaurav Sharma, Assistant Director, National Informatics Centre, and Shri Poonam Sharma of UNICOPS also provided detailed information.

Under the PRP Act, 2023, publishers or editors need not get government approval for changing the publication’s title, publishing in another language, adding or removing pages. Thus the whole system has been made more transparent and cooperative. Under the new definition, any publication printed on newsprint which is published at least once a week, in loose‑sheet form is called a “newspaper.” Both newspapers and magazines are included in the new definitions. Starting a publication previously required separate applications for title, details like citizenship, residence, language, content, etc., followed by certification by the collector’s office. That has been simplified. These new rules will bring greater freedom and responsibility to publications and promote new ideas and experiments in the media sector.

The purpose of this workshop was to inform about the newly enacted Press and Registration of Periodicals (PRP) Act, 2023 and to educate publishers about how to use the new system for online registration, renewal, name changes, ownership transfer etc., and also to resolve any difficulties publishers face in this process. In this workshop, all District Collectors of Gujarat participated online, who were made aware of the new procedure.

SM/NP/GP/JD

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