Spectrum Test: Development Of Indian Press - UPSC MCQ

• Censorship of Press Act, 1799: Lord Wellesley enacted this, anticipating French invasion of India. It imposed almost wartime press restrictions including pre-censorship. 

• These restrictions were relaxed under Lord Hastings, who had progressive views, and in 1818, pre-censorship was dispensed with.

Licensing Regulations, 1823: 

• The acting governor-general, John Adams, who had reactionary views, enacted these. According to these regulations, starting or using a press without a licence was a penal offence.

• Later on, the Act was extended to cover journals, pamphlets and books. These restrictions were directed chiefly against Indian language newspapers or those edited by Indians. Rammohan Roy's Mirat-ul-Akbar had to stop publication.

• Metcalfe (governor-general-1835-36) repealed the obnoxious 1823 ordinance and earned the epithet, "liberator of the Indian press". 

• The new Press Act (1835) required a printer/publisher to give a precise account of premises of a publication and cease functioning if required by a similar declaration. The result of a liberal press policy was a rapid growth of newspapers.

The correct answer is Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
Key Points

•  Raja Ram Mohan Roy was the founder and editor of the following two vernacular weekly newspapers-
  • Sambad Kaumudi in Bengali.
  • Mirat-ul-Akhbar in the Persian language​
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy is known as 'the father of Indian renaissance',
• He was the founder of 'Brahmo Samaj' and the man who tirelessly fought against the social evils prevailing in the Indian society.
• Roy was the one who pioneered western education in India.
• Roy established the Brahmo Samaj on August 20, 1828, which acted against the evil practices that existed in the Hindu society, especially, the practice of ‘Sati’.

Statement 1: 
The impact of the newspapers was limited to the cities and towns because of the illiteracy prevalent in the masses is incorrect.
The impact of newspapers was not restricted to cities and towns. They also reached remote villages where local libraries acted as hubs for open discussion and debates over editorial pages. The press, with its enormous reach, brought everyone together.

Statement 2: These newspapers were not established as a profit making business Ventures is correct.
These newspapers were not established as profit-making business ventures but were seen as rendering national and public service. In fact, these newspapers had a wide reach and they stimulated a library movement.

• Many newspapers emerged during these years under distinguished and fearless journalists. 

• These included The Hindu and Swadesamitran under G. Subramaniya Aiyar, The Bengalee under Surendranath Banerjea, Voice of India under Dadabhai Naoroji, Amrita Bazar Patrika under Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh, Indian Mirror under N.N. Sen, Kesari (in Marathi) and Mahratta (in English) under Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sudharak under Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and Hindustan and Advocate under G.P. Verma. Other main newspapers included, Tribune and Akbhar-i-am in Punjab, Gujarati, Indu Prakash, Dhyan Prakash and Kal in Bombay and Som Prakash, Banganivasi and Sadharani in Bengal.