NEW DELHI: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadedkar on Tuesday 'clicked into' Kerala Kaumudi’s Extended e-paper, India’s first multimedia-enabled e-paper, marking its global launch.

“Kerala Kaumudi which has 109 years of legacy in the media field, spanning four generations, had deeply influenced Malayalis’ news concept. Its Extended e-paper that explores the infinite possibilities of digital media is the signature of the changing times.

This multi-media newspaper is an important milestone in Kerala Kaumudi’s growth as well as media feild,” said Javadekar in his inaugural speech.

The minister said “the new generation’s changed habit is to read, interact through digital media.

The new e-paper version has incorporated video and audio in order to help the new generation which has no time to read amid their hectic life and those who want to get news updates while travelling.”

Kerala Kaumudi’s extended e-paper will become a hit among lakhs of Malayalis in the middle Asia and other parts of the world.

In the digital space, which has no space restriction of regular newspaper, there will be special pages for each districts. There will be exhaustive sections for regional, national and world news, business, sports and economics sections, crime news, video clips, informative articles, editorials, opinion pieces, columns, and reports on cinema and art.

Nationally, the Extended e-paper will be the first in the media to have video pages.

The new version which started with 24 paper upon its inception on May 18, this year, will be expanded to include about 40 pages soon.

The global launch which was planned earlier to be conducted in a big way in the national capital had to be constricted to a small function on account of lockdown.

In the launching ceremony held in the minister’s office, Kerala Kaumudi Delhi bureau chief Prasoon S Kandath said the vote of thanks.

The Extended e-paper can be accessed as Kerala Kaumudi web edition or by downloading Kerala Kaumudi e-paper app from the Playstore.

Later, Union MoS V Muraleedharan also extended his wishes to Kerala Kaumudi’s new venture.