New Press Registrar General to inspect premises and impose penalties

This Bill establishes a mandatory registration system for all periodicals (newspapers, magazines, etc.) published in India, requiring them to obtain a certificate from a new Press Registrar General. It also sets rules for printing presses, ownership transfers, and discontinuation of publications.

The law affects printers of periodicals, publishers, owners of periodicals (individuals, firms, or legal entities), and the Press Registrar General of India. It specifically restricts individuals convicted of terrorist acts or offenses against state security from bringing out periodicals.

• Mandatory online registration of every periodical with the Press Registrar General and a local specified authority (District Magistrate/Collector).
• Appointment of a Press Registrar General of India by the Central Government to issue certificates, maintain registers, and verify circulation figures.
• Prohibition on publishing periodicals for individuals convicted of terrorist acts or unlawful activities under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
• Requirement for printers to furnish intimation to the Press Registrar General and local authorities.
• Power of the Press Registrar General to suspend or cancel registration for false representation or failure to publish continuously.
• Requirement to print the name of the printer, place of printing, editor, publisher, and place of publication on every periodical.
• Facsimile editions of foreign periodicals require prior approval from the Central Government.
• Ownership transfer requires permission from the Press Registrar General, and changes in shareholding must be intimated within 15 days.

Written from the document by AI, and checked against it. The original below is authoritative.

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