Just what we always wanted -- local government bodies to run community radio. I'm a bit confused as to who has "decided to permit local bodies to run community radio stations" and why the Ministry of Urban Development should be encouraging local bodies to apply for CR licences, but there it is.
On the one hand, Municipal Corporations like the ones in Thane<http://www.televisionpoint.com/news2006/newsfullstory.php?id=1140612158>and Nagpur<http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-01-11/nagpur/27764559_1_nmc-schools-community-radio-radio-station> have applied for CR licences with a singular lack of success, but on the other, the Madhya Pradesh government -- through its government-run-non-governmental-organization, Vanya -- has managed to corner ten, possibly eleven, community radio licences. 'Eligibility' is the watch-word and that's apparently a flexible concept in govt circles. Sajan *Local bodies to run community radio stations*<http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Chandigarh/Local-bodies-to-run-community-radio-stations/SP-Article1-866837.aspx> UNI, Chandigarh, June 06, 2012 The central government has decided to encourage local bodies to promote community radio stations and make them an effective tool of communication with the local community. According to a spokesman, the ministry of urban development has decided to encourage local bodies to promote such radio stations. Every eligible local body would be able to apply to information and broadcasting ministry for a licence to run these radio stations, he added. He said the community radio stations has the potential to bring a very significant positive social change at the community level by way of carrying programmes of public interest on health, water and sanitation, education and empowerment of women. He further said that it has been decided to permit local bodies to run community radio stations. The spokesman said the ministry of information and broadcasting has brought out a compendium on community radio stations in India 2012 in association with the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia. He said the compendium would provide comprehensive information on the signature programmes of each community radio station and their hours of broadcast. It could be used as a resource book for tapping the potential of community radio stations effectively to carry socially relevant messages, he added. With the help of Punjab government, community radio would be promoted via local bodies and an awareness campaign would be launched to create awareness among the municipal bodies and citizens, he added. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Chandigarh/Local-bodies-to-run-community-radio-stations/SP-Article1-866837.aspx
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