Deregistration and postal costs: A double blow to India’s small press

How many newspapers and magazines have lost their registration across India in the past year? According to the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the figure stands at 88,000.

Official data show that 1,54,523 publications were registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI) in 2024–25. The latest figures put the number at 74,374, a decline of approximately 51.86 per cent.

The ministry has attributed the cancellation of registrations to action under Section 11 of the Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023.

The contraction is striking. Although deregistration does not necessarily establish that a publication has ceased appearing, removal from the official register raises serious concerns about its future. Further changes, particularly to postal arrangements, could make survival even harder for thousands of small magazines.

Around the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the number of newspapers and magazines grew sharply, increasing by 19.52 per cent that year. The extensive use of media during elections is hardly unusual. Perhaps, however, the political demand that once helped sustain this expansion in print has since diminished.

The figures now point to a substantial decline across languages and states.

A contraction across languages

Two years ago, there were 56,052 registered Hindi newspapers and magazines. That number has fallen to 33,491. English publications have declined from 19,929 to 6,430.

Santhali, spoken in several tribal-dominated regions, has seen its registered publications fall from 23 to six. Bengali publications have declined from 5,060 to 1,162, Marathi from 10,380 to 6,664, and Assamese from 441 to 169.

The number of Kannada publications has dropped from 6,083 to 3,903. Tamil publications have fallen from 6,100 to 2,490 — a reduction of approximately 59 per cent — while Punjabi publications have declined from 1,684 to 429.

Such losses deserve attention beyond the administrative explanation for deregistration. Small publications sustain literary traditions, regional debate and reporting on communities whose concerns often receive little space elsewhere.risky

State-wise reductions

The state-wise figures reveal a similar pattern.

Delhi once had approximately 16,400 registered newspapers and magazines. Only 4,870 now remain on the list, a reduction of more than two-thirds.

Maharashtra’s tally has fallen from 20,098 to around 10,000. In West Bengal, only 1,451 of the earlier 7,523 publications remain registered. Uttar Pradesh has also recorded a decline of nearly half.

The government has cited Section 11 of the 2023 Act as the basis for cancelling registrations. The provision concerns the suspension and cancellation of registration certificates.

An exercise of this scale requires transparency about the grounds for action, the publications affected and the opportunities available to publishers to address deficiencies or challenge decisions.

More uncertainty ahead

For the publications that remain, registration is only one part of the struggle. Distribution costs could become another threat to their continued existence.

The ministry’s figures for 2025–26 put the total number of registered newspapers and magazines at 74,374. Within this changing landscape, the number of journals is reported to have fallen from approximately 83,500 in 2024–25 to 31,650 in 2025–26.

The distinction between newspapers and other periodicals also has consequences for publishers, particularly where eligibility for postal concessions is concerned. Monthly, quarterly, half-yearly and annual publications depend heavily on affordable distribution to reach subscribers.

The position of publications in smaller languages is especially worrying. Only one Bodo weekly reportedly remains on the list, compared with 18 publications in 2022. Dogri, spoken in Jammu and surrounding areas, had at least eight periodicals in 2022–23 but now has none in the cited register. Kashmiri has only one weekly remaining, compared with at least four publications previously.

These figures should not automatically be treated as evidence that every publication removed from the register has closed. They nevertheless raise an urgent question: how many of the remaining magazines will be able to survive the next round of financial and administrative pressures

The disappearing distribution network

Newspapers and magazines from different states once reached readers through stalls across the country. That network has steadily weakened.

The change is visible around university campuses, including Delhi University, and at railway stations. Outlets once associated with newspapers, books and magazines increasingly sell general merchandise or other goods.

As stalls close or change their business, publishers must find alternative ways to reach readers. Many now depend on sending publications directly to subscribers through the post.

For such publishers, affordable postage is essential. A small magazine with limited advertising revenue cannot easily absorb a steep increase in the cost of dispatching every copy.

A legacy worth protecting

Monthly and fortnightly magazines played an important role in the freedom movement. They carried political arguments, social criticism and reformist ideas despite the restrictions imposed by the colonial administration.

Newspapers and magazines continued to appear for decades after independence under a regulatory framework inherited from British rule.

In 1957, India had 3,837 publications other than dailies and weeklies across its languages. Their number grew to approximately 55,000 by 2014 and subsequently reached 83,470 — an increase of nearly 30,000 during the period of BJP-led government after 2014.

The present squeeze on these publications raises concerns that the narrowing of space for the small press forms part of a wider political project.

Replacing colonial-era laws should have expanded the space for expression and simplified the work of publishers. Instead, small publications face a cumulative burden of printing and paper costs, taxes, postage and inadequate access to advertising.

Government advertising, meanwhile, increasingly appears to favour large media companies, leaving smaller publications struggling for support.

During Sheila Dikshit’s tenure as Delhi chief minister, a policy was formulated to provide advertisements to small magazines. This reflected a broader post-independence understanding that small and non-commercial publications deserved public support.

Their value cannot be measured solely by their usefulness to the political party in power. They serve society, often providing a platform for people whose voices are otherwise overlooked.

Publications associated with women, Dalits, minorities and tribal communities are particularly vulnerable. Their disappearance would leave gaps that larger commercial media organisations may have neither the interest nor the incentive to fill.

The postal squeeze

Affordable postal services have long helped small publishers reach readers.

Under the earlier Under Postal Certificate arrangement, commonly known as UPC, senders received a certificate confirming that an item had been posted. That facility was discontinued during the Manmohan Singh government. Book Post subsequently remained an affordable option for distributing books and magazines.

Publishers now face uncertainty over concessional postal arrangements beyond 2026. Those applying for renewals say they are being told that postal licences for magazines will not be renewed for 2027.

According to these accounts, publications previously dispatched at 50 paise a copy could face a charge of Rs 4, depending on the applicable postal category and conditions.

For a small publication, this is a substantial increase. Absorbing the additional cost could make each issue financially unviable; passing it on to readers could lead to fewer subscriptions.

More than 31,000 magazines could face additional pressure at a time when many are already struggling. For some, the increase could hasten closure.

Stakeholders have objected to the reported changes, but their concerns appear to have received little attention. The significance of magazines as platforms for marginalised communities seems absent from the administrative response.

Distribution is part of freedom of expression

The post office has an important role in sustaining freedom of expression. For publications without commercial distribution networks, it provides the link between an editor and a reader.

The postal department and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting may be separate administrative entities, but publishers experience the combined consequences of their decisions.

A publication’s registration offers little practical security if it cannot afford to reach its subscribers.

Publishers also say there has been no general communication explaining the arrangements that will apply from 2027. Instead, information is being conveyed individually to those seeking renewal of their postal licences.

That uncertainty makes it difficult to plan subscription rates, print runs and publishing budgets.

The government must clarify the position and consider what higher distribution costs would mean for the small press. Administrative reform should not become a route through which publications serving disadvantaged communities are priced out of existence.

The year 2027 could prove decisive for many of India’s magazines. Their survival matters because the loss of a publication can also mean the loss of a community’s platform for debate, documentation and dissent.

Anil Chamadia is a senior Delhi-based journalist and chairperson of the Media Studies Group. He also edits Mass Media, a research journal focusing on media and communication studies.