New Delhi: Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday launched four web portals promising to digitise and modernise the media landscape in the country.
The initiative is aimed at ensuring ease of doing business, enhancing transparency and efficiency in government communication and providing easy access to authentic government videos.
Among the four portals, Press Sewa portal streamlines newspaper registration by allowing publishers to file applications for title registration online, using Aadhar-based e-signatures.
In addition to the Press Sewa portal, the I&B Ministry has introduced the transparent empanelment, media planning and eBilling system for Central Bureau of Communication (CBC).
“The new system of CBC is designed to enhance transparency and efficiency in media planning processes, and provide an end-to-end ERP solution for the media industry for doing business in a paperless and faceless environment,” an official statement said.
The ‘NaViGate Bharat’ portal launched today is a unified bilingual platform which hosts videos on the entire gamut of government’s development-related and citizen welfare-oriented measures.
“NaViGate Bharat empowers citizens by providing a single platform with an interactive user interface to search, stream, share, and download videos related to various Government schemes, initiatives, and campaigns, with filter-based advanced search option,” the I&B Ministry said.
The statement said that the National Register for Local Cable Operators (LCOs) has also been published online and is being updated regularly.
“This promises a more organized cable sector with a National Registration Number for an LCO, making it easier to formulate new policies for responsible service and convenience for cable operators,” it said.
The Ministry said that Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023 (PRP Act, 2023) revolutionizes the registration process for periodicals, introducing a seamless online system for title allotment and registration without the need for physical submissions.
“The PRP Act has received the Presidential assent in December 2023 and is likely to be notified in near future,” the Ministry said.
