The Press and Registration of Books Act (PRB Act), 1867 was enacted to create a system for keeping a record of publications through regulation of printing presses and newspapers. A number of minor amendments in the original Act have been made from time to time. In order to make the existing Act relevant in the present scenario of the print media, the Press and Registration of Books and Publication (PRBP) Bill 2011 was introduced in the Parliament on 16.12.2011 and referred to the Standing Committee of Information Technology for examination. The Standing Committee had submitted its report to the Parliament on 20.12.2012.

The revised bill has been uploaded in the website of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (home page – What’s new) on 08.11.2013. With a view to have holistic view on the subject, suggestions of various stakeholders interested in the subject matter of the Bill are invited by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The suggestions / views on the proposed bill may be sent to the Under Secretary (MUC), Room No.749, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, ‘A’ Wing, Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi – 110 001, Tel. No.2338 4853, Fax No.2338 7240, E.mail : [email protected] by 19.11.2013. In case no suggestions are received within the stipulated time, it will be presumed that the stakeholders are in agreement with the amendments of the bill.

Press registration reform seeks stakeholder submissions on a revised bill to modernise print media regulation and recordkeeping. The Ministry has uploaded a revised bill proposing amendments to the Press and Registration of Books Act to modernise regulation of printing presses and publications and has invited written suggestions from stakeholders to the Media Unit Cell contact; the notice provides procedural contact details and states that no response within the prescribed period will be presumed as agreement with the proposed amendments.