The Government of India is ready to bring in legislation to manage the Registration of Press and Periodicals Bill, 2019. This bill would include the Digital News Media industry for the first time. With this the Cabinet has proposed to bring out digital news portals at par with newspapers.

HIGHLIGHTS
Digital media to be regulated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
The Bill to replace Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act of 1867
The digital news publishers to apply for registration within 90 days of duration

On Friday the Lok Sabha Secretariat, has released a list of Bills which would be deemed to introduce and pass it in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.

The Bill is supposed to replace the Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act, 1867 that actually covers the ambit of newspapers and printing presses in India.

According to government sources, the Cabinet which is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is probably going to approve this Bill soon.

When the idea was first mooted it drew plenty of criticism with assumptions that this Bill would attempt to curtail the Freedom of Speech and Expression on digital media. Well, the detail consultations have already been held with numerous stakeholders regarding the Bill.

Till now there has been no such method in which one can register to digital news portals like newspapers. But this Bill has been proposed in order to register them with the Press Registrar General which is equivalent of the prevalent Registrar of Newspapers in India.

The digital news publishers need to apply for registration within the duration of 90 days of the law which is coming into effect, which is being actually proposed.

This is basically the first time that digital media in India will be having any regulations. If the Bill is cleared, then the digital media are regulated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

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