Question

The first vernacular paper, Samachar Darpan, was published during the tenure of _ _ _ _.
A. Lord Hastings
B. Lord Minto
C. Lord Metcalfe
D. Lord Macaulay

Answer 1

Hint: First printing press came to India from Portugal in 1556 and the printing press was established in Goa. Later, this printing technology was adopted in Bombay in 1670. First 'Bengal Gazette’ newspaper published by James Augustus Hickey in India in 1780. Later James Hickey had exposed the corruption of East India Company by his News Paper. When this news went to Warren Hastings, then he took just action against it to stop the Bengal Gazette NewsPaper, and within 2 years ‘Bengal Gazette’ publication shut down.

Complete Step by step explanation:
 Further, Many English newspapers were started, that was – Calcutta Gazette, Bengal Journal, Madras Courier, Bombay Herald between 1784 to 1789. French had stated penetration to India & Lord Wellesley observed that the French were publishing against them; Hence Lord Wellesley introduced ‘censorship of press act’. By this Act, publishers cannot publish any newspaper without auditing and permission of the British Government. But in 1818, Lord Hasting abolished this censorship of press act and after it, India’s first vernacular paper was published, ‘Samachar Darpan’. Samachar Darpan paper was published by the Baptist Missionary Society as a weekly newspaper.
In 1822, Bombay Samachar Newspaper was started as the oldest paper which is publishing in present. At that time, Raja Ram Mohan Ray had started the ‘Sambad Kaumudi’ News Paper and he was using this for raising the campaign of Sati Pratha Removal’.
In 1823, John Adams brought the new law that was the ‘Licensing Regulation Act’. According to this act, any publishing agency should have the lenience to publish newspapers.

Therefore, Option A is the correct answer.

Note: Further, 30th May 1826, India’s first Hindi Newspaper was published, hence 30th may is observed as Hindi Journalism Day. In 1868, Amrita Bazar Patrika was published in the Bengali language. Further, many Indian Languages published and exposed the black work of the East India Company and also their corruption.
In 1878, Lord Lytton passed the Vernacular Press Act, hence all Indian language newspapers shut down. But in 1882, Lord Ripon repealed the Vernacular Act and all Indian Language newspapers still started.