Stop Printing IHT, Govt Tells Midram Publications

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New Delhi, June 4: The government has asked the publisher of International Herald Tribune (IHT) in India, Midram Publications Pvt Ltd, to stop printing the newspaper, according to sources in the information and broadcasting ministry. “It’s a complete violation of policy guidelines,” a senior ministry source said after a 30-minute meeting between I&B minister S Jaipal Reddy and officials. The ministry has also sent a letter to IHT’s Asia headquarter, Hong Kong, pointing out the violations involved in reprinting the newspaper in India.

Even as government guidelines don’t allow foreign publications to be reprinted in India, Midram Publications started publishing IHT from the Chronicle Press in Hyderabad from May 26. There’s no difference in content between the paper that comes out from Hong Kong and Hyderabad, pointed out officials in the I&B ministry.

A Cabinet decision of 1955 states that a foreign newspaper cannot be reprinted in India. That decision has not been reversed ever since. When asked whether there was any move to review the policy on reprinting of foreign publications, an I&B source said: “No. Why should we, just because they (referring to IHT being published from India) want it.” The source added: “They are only testing the waters.”

Although the publisher secured a no-objection certificate from IHT and its parent company New York Times, government officials argue that the newspaper is being reprinted from the country without permission.

In fact, there has been no application from either IHT or the Indian publisher for the purpose, ministry officials told FE. Although the Registrar of Newspapers of India (RNI) granted the International Herald Tribune title to Midram Publications, the government is questioning the entire process of registration now.

As RNI failed to inform the I&B ministry about the title clearance, the matter would be investigated by the government now.

Besides violating the Cabinet Resolution of 1955, the IHT India edition goes against the syndication norms of the country as well. As per the syndication norms, foreign content should not exceed 7.5 per cent of the total printed matter. Also, the masthead and the front page of the international and India editions should be different. The I&B ministry, through a letter, has asked IHT to stop “supply of content” and “sharing of masthead” for the India edition.