A PIB press release: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=71483
Smt. Ambika Soni to Inaugurate 1st National Community Radio Sammelan Tomorrow
Three Day Meeting to Bring Together 107 Functional Community Radio Stations
Meeting to Outline Roadmap for Community Radio Stations in India
The
1st National Community Radio Sammelan for operational Community Radio
Stations of India is being organized by the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting in Association with the Commonwealth Education Media Centre
for Asia (CEMCA) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi from 7th to 9th April
2011. The Sammelan will be inaugurated by the Hon’ble Union Minister for
Information and Broadcasting Smt Ambika Soni.
The Sammelan will bring together 107 functional Community Radio Stations
from across the country, Policy makers from various Government
Departments like Health, Rural Development, Information Technology,
Science and Technology, Agriculture, Panchayati Raj, CAPART etc.
Several UN, National and other International organizations like UNESCO,
UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank, One World Asia, AMARC, Community Radio Forum
etc. are also participating in the Sammelan.
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is mandated to permit
eligible organizations to run Community Radio Stations as per the Policy
Guidelines of 2006. Community Radio is an extraordinary and invisible
medium to give voice to the voiceless. It provides an opportunity to
the community to speak about issues concerning their lives. It can also
facilitate development by disseminating information regarding rural
development, agriculture, health, nutrition, education and Panchayati
Raj issues enabling social change through communication.
Community Radio is one of the priority areas for the Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting. So far 278 Letters of Intent (LOI) have
been issued, 130 Grant of Permission Agreement (GOPA) have been signed.
107 Community Radio Stations have been become operational. Out of 107
stations 72 are run by Educational Institutions, 27 by community based
organizations and 8 by Krishi Vigyan Kendra/State Agriculture
Institutions.
Awareness generation is critical to achieve the desired goal of
Community Radio Policy brought out by this Ministry in the year 2006.
Ministry of I&B has been organizing Awareness Workshops all over the
country from 2007 onwards. Around 28 Workshops have been organized so
far. In 2010-11 Ministry has organized 8 Workshops in Gujarat, Andhra
Pradesh, Punjab, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Maharashtra and Delhi.
The Ministry has also organized Capacity Building Workshops for the
operational Community Radio Stations this year. These Workshops have
proved to be useful not only to spread awareness but also build
capacities of the NGOs and other organizations to operate Community
Radio Stations in an effective way.
In three days deliberations discussions would be held on issues
concerning Policy changes in the existing Community Radio Guidelines,
quality of content being broadcast from the Community Radio Stations,
strategies to engage community in programme production, funding and
sustainability, encouraging and popularizing local cultural talent etc. A
Poster Exhibition has also been organized on the sidelines of the
Sammelan.
The consultation will bring together community broadcasters and other
key stakeholders such as non-governmental organizations, media
activists, academia and the policy makers to take stock of the
achievements of this burgeoning sector of radio broadcasting in India,
and explore ways to take this movement to the next level.
The consultation seeks to analyse, assess the current Community Radio
Policy in achieving the goals of disseminating information,
strengthening grass-root democracy and fulfilling social development
objectives and discuss issues of financial & social sustainability
of Community Radio Stations. The discussions will help design joint
action strategies and define the role of organizations such as UNESCO,
CRF, CEMCA, various Government Departments and other partners in
strengthening the CR movement.
The outcome from the consultation is expected to focus on :
• Enhancement of stakeholders’ coordination in their effort to make
community radio sustainable and more effective partner in development
• Increasing scope of collaboration between organizations working on
developmental issues
• Furthering the use of new media and innovative/appropriate technology
in the community radio sector
Arti Jaiman
Station Director : Gurgaon Ki Awaaz Samudayik Radio Station 107.8 MHz FM
email: [email protected]
website: www.trfindia.org
Gurgaon Ki Awaaz is the first and only civil-society-led community radio
station in the National Capital Region of Delhi. We broadcast 24X7, in Hindi
and Haryanvi, with a team of community reporters, generating community content,
and community participation.
Join the Community Radio Forum. For membership details, please go to
www.crforum.in
