The Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Mrs. Nandini Satpathi, informed the Lok Sabha to-day [New Delhi, July 6] that the Government was considering bringing forward suitable legislation to secure a broader base of ownership of newspapers having a circulation above a specific minimum. Replying to the debate on the demands for grants of her Ministry, she said that was one of the steps contemplated by the Government to ensure freedom of the press and end monopolistic ownership of newspapers. The intention was that newspapers with a larger circulation should be owned by a comparatively larger number of people. This indeed had been recommended by the Press Commission more than 15 years ago. The proposed legislation, she said, might also provide for full disclosure of the financial interest and transactions of larger newspapers. She reiterated that the Government believed in complete and full freedom of the press.