The Press Council of India has received 468 complaints of paid news from across the country since 2021-22, including 290 complaints in the current year alone, the Narendra Modi government told the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Of the 290 complaints received this year, 111 of them were from Rajasthan alone.
This data was provided by Minister Of State For Information And Broadcasting Dr L Murugan in response to an unstarred question by BJP MP Chandra Prakash Joshi.
PCI received 74 complaints in 2021-22, 76 in 2022-23, 28 in 2023-24 and 290 in 2024-25 from across the country, the government said. Of these, 13 complaints in 2021-2022 and 111 in 2024-25 were from Rajasthan alone, it said.
The council takes action against the erring print media on case to case basis after following due procedure prescribed under Press Council of India Act, 1978 and if satisfied that it is necessary to do so warns, admonishes or censures the newspaper, news agency or journalist or disapprove the conduct of the editor or the journalist, the government said.
Murugan, in his response, also mentioned that the Election Commission of India has established a mechanism at the national, state and district levels to receive complaints relating to paid news and take action.
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