The Hindu : National : All Central ads will have to go through DAVP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 05, 2006

National

National

All Central ads will have to go through DAVP

Special Correspondent

New policy seeks to make advertisements cost-effective

Departmental charges waived for client ministries Newspapers to be promoted in remote areas Rate contracts for three years

NEW DELHI: All government advertisements, including those issued by public sector undertakings and autonomous organisations under the Centre, will have to be routed through the Directorate of Audio-Visual Publicity (DAVP) as per the new policy announced by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Tuesday.

To make advertisements cost-effective, the Ministry will waive the 13 per cent departmental charges levied on client ministries and departments. The new policy seeks to ensure a greater share of display advertisements for small and medium newspapers from 25 per cent of the total amount spent to 40 per cent, and strips the Registrar of Newspapers for India of its power to maintain a circulation check of newspapers for DAVP advertisements.

Also, to promote newspapers published in remote areas and languages with limited reach such as Sanskrit and tribal dialects, the Ministry has eased eligibility conditions for empanelment. Newspapers/journals in Sanskrit and those published in backward, border or remote areas or in tribal languages and those published in Jammu and Kashmir, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the northeast need to have a substantiated minimum paid circulation of only 500 copies per publishing day. Otherwise, a newspaper/journal should have a minimum paid circulation of 2,000 copies for empanelment with the DAVP.

Circulation check

Statutory auditors and chartered accountants have replaced the RNI for circulation check. Publications claiming a circulation of up to 75,000 copies will be able to furnish authenticated figures of circulation provided by the cost accountant/statutory auditor/chartered accountant in a prescribed proforma. Publications with a circulation above 75,000 copies will have to furnish a certificate from the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Rate contracts will be issued for three years instead of for one year. "However, circulation shall be verified and changed, if required, every year on the basis of evidence prescribed in the criteria for empanelment during the period of validity of the contract."

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National