“We would like to have the report on paid news as early as possible. Justice (retd) G.N. Ray has been sent a letter from the Information and Broadcasting Secretary on the issue and is awaiting a reply from the PCI,” she told reporters.

'The secretary (of information and broadcasting ministry) has sent a reminder to the PCI to give the report as early as possible,' she said.

The PCI, a statutory media watchdog, has set up a two-member committee following complaints regarding paid news.

The minister said she had met PCI chairman in April and the council held a meeting later in the month to discuss the report.

Answering queries, she said all members of PCI had not signed the report but added that it was not due to dissent.

Mrs. Soni said she had assured the Rajya Sabha during a discussion on paid news during the budget session that the PCI report will be tabled in parliament and the government will formulate its response to tackle the problem, based on the suggestions of members.

She said the Election Commission had already asked its officials in states to keep watch on media in connection with paid news.

In a directive issued earlier this month, the poll panel said that committees should be constituted by the district election officers, as soon as an election was announced, to vigorously scrutinise all newspapers, published from or having circulation in the district, to locate political advertisements in the garb of news coverage appearing within the election period.

The government has termed paid news a serious matter as it influences the functioning of a free press.

Meanwhile, the government has accepted the report of the Shyam Benegal Committee for restructuring the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) which would now have a two-tier jury system from this year with at least four to five regional juries.

Besides this, there would be an increase in the prize money of the awards and introduction of certain new sections like prizes for the Best Actor and Best Actress.

'This way the regional cinema will get a much bigger recognition,' Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters here today.

The committee has made a number of other suggestions as well, some of which have been accepted by the Ministry, including making the competition section a global section, she said She said the amendments to the Press and Registration of Books Act, (PRB Act) 1867 on a larger scale, would be placed before the Cabinet soon for its approval as it has been cleared by the Law Ministry and
has also been circulated to other Ministries.

The Act was being amended since the existing provisions were found to be inadequate to cater to the phenomenal growth of the print media in view of the liberalization of the government policies.

The government had sought to amend the existing Act as it was felt that it had been only marginally amended several times between 1870 and 1983.