Parliament Question: Selective denial of Government advertisements to Newspapers in Jammu and Kashmir

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1698 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.02.2026 SELECTIVE DENIAL OF GOVERNMENT ADVERTISEMENTS TO NEWSPAPERS IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR 1698. SHRI CHOWDRY MOHAMMAD RAMZAN Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be please to state: (a) whether Government is aware that several widely circulated newspapers in Jammu and Kashmir, including Greater Kashmir, Kashmir Times and Kashmir Life, have been denied Government advertisements-often their major source of revenue-without transparent reasons, raising concerns about press freedom and financial coercion of the media; (b) the criteria used to classify publications as "anti-national" or unfit for ads; and (c) the steps being taken to ensure fair, non-discriminatory allocation of Government advertisements to uphold freedom of the press in the Union Territory? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION & BROADCASTING; AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (DR. L. MURUGAN) (a) to (c): The government advertisement on print media is governed through Print Media Advertisement Policy, 2020 and as per this policy the newspapers are placed on the panel of Central Bureau of Communication (CBC). The list of newspapers of Jammu and Kashmir empanelled with CBC is available on the website of CBC i.e. www.davp.nic.in. The Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) releases advertisements through a faceless, paperless and end-to-end online system in accordance with the extant policy guidelines. *****