I&B Ministry revises Press Council levy fees for newspapers

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has revised the annual levy of fees payable to the Press Council of India(PCI) by registered newspapers and periodicals and news agencies.

Under the amended Press Council Rules, registered newspapers upto circulation of 25,000 have been exempted from payment of the levy, according to a release issued by the PCI today.

The PCI had proposed increasing the levy fee on newspapers to reduce its "dependency" on the government for the purpose of performing its functions.

The levy fee is paid by newspapers depending on their size and circulation to avail themselves of the services of the Council.

The levy ranges from Rs 2,000 to Rs 25,000.