The agency is also considering joint ventures with other agencies to provide more information about the corporate and financial sector. He said that the agency, owned by various newspapers, is making profits now and is trying to keep pace with the advances in information technology.

According to him, the agency was expanding and even making profits with 450 subscribers all over the world including the BBC in London and Delhi, Khaleej Times and Gulf News in the Gulf. ``We need to expand also because the world seen through Indian eyes is a world apart from that seen by foreign agencies,'' said Razdan. He said that while in many parts of the world the PTI is helped by other agencies, it has reporters in most capitals, its reporter in China being the only Indian correspondent there.

PTI has invested for the first time in a foreign registered company, Asia Pulse, which, he said, provided an online databank on economic opportunities in Asia Pacific countries. The agency had linked up with stock exchanges as early as 1987 in its Stock Scan services.

As part of the golden jubilee celebrations, a commemorative stamp will be released by President K.R. Narayanan on March 5, a photo exhibition opens at Max Meuller Bhavan from March 10, and a seminar on freedom of information will be opened by Prime Mininster Atal Behari Vajpayee on March 12.

The photo exhibition displaying PTI photographs will move to Mumbai, Chennai and Calcutta later.