Dear Arti, As you say, this is a very unfair request to put on NGOs. It is particularly unwarranted at the Letter of Intent stage, when it is not even certain that the NGO will get a license. I am reliably informed that a survey of this magnitude can cost up to a lakh of rupees (Rs.100,000) and that's a very heavy burden to place on NGOs whose entire CR budget may not exceed four or five lakhs of rupees. They are being forced to squander a quarter of their budget with no guarantee that they will get a license.
It is not clear whether you will have to do your survey all over again. As you know, there is no clarity on these matters, and most of these additional procedures and requirements were seemingly pulled out of thin air and arbitrarily enforced. They certainly don't find any place in the CR Guidelines or even the revised Application Form. There is no mention anywhere of this particularly doltish Survey Questionnaire<http://mib.nic.in/CRS/SurveyQuestionnaire.pdf>or the need to interview 1000 respondents. These are capricious demands which are mostly communicated over the telephone. Since you have already reached the GOPA stage, I'd advise you leave well enough alone and not ask whether you need to do another survey. The answer would very probably be, "Yes!". Don't risk it. Sajan On Mon, Jan 26, 2009 at 10:02 PM, Arti Jaiman <[email protected]> wrote: > Our NGO, TRF in Gurgaon, is just short of signing the GOPA. Our survey was > done with 500 respondent before the ministry put forward this > 1000-respondent survey to be done to suit DST. Does this mean, that we > cannot sign the GOPA till we do a fresh survey according to the DST > questionnaire with 1000 respondents? > > This is a very unfair request to put on NGOs -- many of whom may not even > be interested in opting for the Science for Women program. > > Arti > > Arti Jaiman Project Manager: TRF Radio | [email protected] | > www.trfindia.org | www.jaiman.org | www.pitara.com > > --- On *Sun, 25/1/09, Vickram Crishna <[email protected]>* wrote: > > From: Vickram Crishna <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [cr-india] "Low Frequency - Network Error in a Community > Initiative" > To: "CR India" <[email protected]> > Date: Sunday, 25 January, 2009, 11:42 AM > > > As usual, an intervention meant to assist filter out the ungodly > (figuratively) is being used to stamp out a concept at the roots. It is easy > to suggest that the two licensed stations are showcases of their kind, which > simply avoids pointing to the fact that every station - were there only > 4,000! not just two - would be showcases of their kind, for every station > will be unique. > > It is possibly this central fact that most rankles the worthies at the > ministry of disinformation and leastcasting. Decades of trying to fit all > thought into little boxes do not make for a situation of comfort, when faced > with reality. > > It is very tragic that government has absolutely no mechanism for indicting > this kind of thinking, one that is insanely and suicidally alienating the > vast majority of the country. It is nearly a decade since the publication of > the seminal study on satellite broadcasting in South Asia, yet its lessons > seem not to have crept into what passes for thought at the ministry level. > > Let me clarify one thing: there is no doubt at all that there are many good > people, hardworking and dedicated, in government. But there is no sense of > cohesion in promoting a common cause: the good of the country itself, and > its people. As long as this status quo is maintained, government will be > increasingly isolated from the people it is meant to serve. > > Vickram > http://communicall.wordpress.com > http://vvcrishna.wordpress.com > > ------------------------------ > *From:* sajan venniyoor <[email protected]> > *To:* CR India <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Sunday, 25 January, 2009 10:52:04 > *Subject:* [cr-india] "Low Frequency - Network Error in a Community > Initiative" > > Low Frequency - Network Error in a Community Initiative > Anuradha Raman, Outlook India, 2 Feb 2009 > > Do the health problems peculiar to women or their superstitions have > anything to do with obtaining licences to operate community radio services? > The Union ministry of information & broadcasting seems to think so: its > latest guidelines make it mandatory for voluntary groups applying for the > licence to conduct a six-page survey on women's health by interviewing 1,000 > respondents. The questionnaire has been conceptualised by the department of > science & technology and is meant for developing a radio programme, 'Science > for Women'. > > No doubt, gender-sensitive surveys are useful sources of information, but > the way the I&B ministry is forcing the task on licence applicants is > hindering their primary effort. Many of them find the mandatory survey > clause unfair. For starters, they have to spend resources on conducting the > survey when there is no guarantee that they will finally be given a licence. > Says Abhjit Chakraborty, who wants to start a community radio in Purulia, > West Bengal, "I have been directed by the ministry to interview at least > 1,000 respondents. I need to know how much time the ministry is going to > give me to conduct the interviews." There is no clarity on this in the > ministry. In fact, those who furnished the broad results of the survey were > asked to give the detailed responses of respondents. > > Among the questions the respondents are to answer in the survey are ones > that question them on the prevalence in their community of superstitions > such as papaya being taboo for pregnant women, menstruation being a time of > uncleanliness, eclipses being bad for the health of unborn children and > pregnant women. The logic behind radio licence applicants being asked to > conduct the survey is not explained. Other questions are on adolescent > health, pregnancy, childcare and so forth. > > So far only two community radio stations are operational, one in Orchha, > Madhya Pradesh, and the other in Medak, Andhra Pradesh. Another five > licences have been cleared, but the target of 4,000 by 2008 has gone unmet > and looks unlikely to be met even this year-end. And nothing has been done > to expedite the process of awarding a licence, which can take a year or > more. A committee of officials first question the applicant on his motives > for starting a station. The ministry then forwards the application to the > ministries of defence and home for clearance following which the telecom > ministry finally allots a frequency. > > While those hoping to start community radio were looking forward to airing > debates on current issues, the ministry remains paranoid about allowing such > discussions. In fact, it has taken nearly five years to announce a policy > for community radio and fine-tune the guidelines. It will perhaps take > another five for civil society to engage with the true spirit of community > broadcasting. > > Meanwhile, officials say it won't come as a surprise if future applicants > start fudging the survey results as a quick way to obtain a licence. One > wonders whether the ministry has the wherewithal to keep tabs on that.* > Outlook*'s questionnaire on the rationale of the survey sent to ministry > officials did not elicit a response. Perhaps they are in the 'Don't > know/Can't say' mode. > > *What's Community Radio?* > > - It means broadcasting for serving the community. > - NGOs, well-established institutions can apply for a five-year > licence. > - There are 114 applications with the I&B ministry. Only seven have > been cleared so far. > - The cost of setting up a radio station: Rs 6 lakh to Rs 27 lakh. > > *** > http://www.outlookindia.co > m/full.asp?fodname=20090202&fname=Community+Radio+(F)&sid=1<http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20090202&fname=Community+Radio+%28F%29&sid=1> > > _______________________________________________ > cr-india mailing list > [email protected] > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/cr-india > > > _______________________________________________ > cr-india mailing list > [email protected] > https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/cr-india >
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