Ambika Soni promises all help to the magazine sector AMENDMENTS TO THE PRB ACT TO BE EXPEDITED
	16:38 IST

The Government is committed to proactively nurture the magazine business in India. The Minister of Information & Broadcasting Smt. Ambika Soni, while delivering the keynote address at the Indian Magazine Congress 2009, said in New Delhi today that the amendments in the Press and Registration of Books Act would be expedited. The Minister acknowledged that it is a lengthy proposition to amend the 1867 Act but she said that the amendments are imperative as the existing provisions of the Act are inadequate to cater to the phenomenal growth of the print media sector in view of advances in technology and the recent liberalization of Government’s foreign direct investment policies. Smt. Soni elaborated that it is the endeavor of her Ministry to ensure more powers to Press Registrar, RNI in registration/cancellation of titles for checking non-serious players. The Minister also said that preamble of PRB Act would be modified to insert provisions on FDI including Syndication, Facsimile Edition and Indian Edition of Foreign Publications. Smt. Soni also said that in view of the increase in newsprint prices, the Rate Structure Committee report to look into the revision of DAVP advertisement rates, would also be finalized soon. The Minister informed that the process of title verification at RNI has been fully computerized so that the applicants can check the status of application through Internet access to save time. Considering the international interest in the Indian Magazine business and the fact that the Government has already taken major policy decisions permitting publication of Indian edition of foreign magazines dealing with news and current affairs, the Government is evaluating the request of media houses to further increase the FDI limit from the existing 26% to 49% in consultation with TRAI. The Minister urged the media players to evolve a consensus on the issue within the industry. She said that the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting would be happy to have representatives from the Association of Indian Magazines who could associate with the Ministry for collective exercise of debating the concerned issues to bring about needful changes in FDI, PRB Act, rate structure of DAVP advertisements, after following the due process of the government and ensure transparency in the exercise. Earlier speaking on the occasion Sh. Aroon Purie, Chairman Federation of International Periodical Press and Chairman, Editor-in-Chief India Today Group Praised the Government’s efforts in opening up the publishing sector for FDI and streamlining the procedure. It was noted that in the last 5 years, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has given approvals for publications of 351 magazines/journals in FDI sector in the various genres of Indian entities publishing newspapers and periodicals. *********** SBS/RS