New Delhi, March 10 The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) expressed concern on Tuesday about the quality and standards of domestic newsprint, stating that imports will remain essential for ensuring quality, efficiency, and timely newspaper production in India until domestic manufacturing capabilities are upgraded to meet international benchmarks.
In a statement, INS president Vivek Gupta said that the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, in its report for 2024-25, has indicated that the domestic newsprint industry claims the existence of 123 newsprint mills with an installed capacity of approximately 2.2 million tonnes per annum.
However, actual production figures reveal that capacity utilization remains significantly below these claims, thereby challenging assertions of adequate domestic availability of newsprint, the INS said, adding that beyond quantity, quality remains an important concern for the print media industry.
The INS said that the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), in its newsprint specification (second revision) published in December 2022, classifies newsprint into Grade 1 and Grade 2, based on physical, optical, mechanical, and surface parameters.
While both grades are BIS compliant, the INS said, they are not operationally equivalent, and a comparison of the technical specifications of Grade 1 and 2 shows that Grade 2 is significantly inferior in quality to Grade 1.
The INS highlighted a statement by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who had said that "our standards should not be less than global standards, and if they are below those standards, then they should be upgraded."
"Harmonizing global standards not only enhances product quality but also facilitates free trade, open markets, and such initiatives will help expand open markets and provide a level playing field for businesses," the INS statement quoted Goyal as saying recently.
The newspaper society said that these statements reaffirm the concerns of the print media industry that the existing quality and standards of domestic newsprint do not meet the requirements of Indian publishers.
"The issue confronting Indian publishers is not merely capacity, but the availability of globally acceptable, press-compatible, quality newsprint. Until domestic manufacturing capabilities are upgraded to consistently meet international benchmarks, imports of newsprint will remain essential for ensuring quality, efficiency, and timely newspaper production in India," the INS said in the statement.