What is 9th Rate Structure Committee (RSC)?Central Bureau of Communication (CBC)

The government has decided to revise the rates of advertisement by 26%.  The media rates for print media per sq.cm. for one lakh copies of dailies in the black and white advertisement have been enhanced from Rs. 47.40 to Rs. 59.68, an increase of 26%. The Government has also agreed to the recommendations of the Committee relating to premium rates to be offered for colour advertisements, preferential positioning.

Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) is a nodal Media Unit under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for undertaking publicity campaigns on behalf of various Ministries/Departments of the Government of India in various media vehicles, including Print media, empanelled with CBC for this purpose. The rates for release of advertisements in Print media by CBC were last revised by the Ministry on the basis of the recommendations of the 8th Rate Structure Committee (RSC) on 09.01.2019, which were valid for a period of three years.

Committee Evaluates Print Media Costs

• The 9th Rate Structure Committee under the chairmanship of AS&FA (I&B) was constituted on 11th November, 2021 for making recommendations regarding revision in rates for Government advertisements in print media.
• The Committee during its proceedings between November, 2021 and August, 2023 considered the representations from various newspaper associations of small, medium and big category newspapers viz. Indian Newspaper Society (INS), All India Small Newspapers Association (AISNA), Small-Medium-Big Newspapers Society (SMBNS) and other stakeholders. The Committee also deliberated on the various parameters having an impact on the rates of advertisements in print media, such as WPI inflation in respect of Newsprint, wage, rate of inflation, trend of imported newsprint prices, processing cost, etc.  The Committee submitted its recommendations on 23 September, 2023.

About Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) :

The Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) is the Government of India’s official advertising and outreach agency, functioning under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB). It is responsible for communicating government policies, schemes, and programs to the public through various media.

History & Formation:

• Formed in 2017 by merging:

  • Directorate of Advertising & Visual Publicity (DAVP)

  • Directorate of Field Publicity (DFP)

  • Song & Drama Division (S&DD)

• From 2017 to 2022, it operated as the Bureau of Outreach & Communication (BOC).

• Later renamed CBC for organizational clarity and uniformity.