Information and Broadcasting Secretary Amit Khare said that community radio has emerged as a big instrument of change in rural India.
New Delhi: Commenting on the importance of community radio in a country as diverse as India, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Amit Khare said that local language, local content, local requirement could be suitably adapted and addressed by the community radio. Launching a film on community radio, Khare also shared information about the yet to be launched programme, Fit India, by the Indian Prime Minister.
Khare said that community radio is an important medium for conveying various social messages in local languages to local communities. He also said every community has a hero who works selflessly in the community and plays an influential role in talking to the community.
He said that community radio has emerged as a big instrument of change in rural India. Khare stressed on the need for recognising the work of community radio which could motivate others too for setting up CR stations.
Atul Kumar Tiwari, Additional Secretary, MIB, talking about the community radio activities from 2016 to 2019 said that out of 732 districts 485 districts have been issued permission for setting up community radio stations. Tiwari informed that 162 districts in the country have 262 operational radio stations. “Between 2016-19, 58 community radio stations were set up. Recently 132 applications for approval have been cleared, and out of 78 coastal districts 44 districts have been covered with 107 community radio stations.”
Impetus should be given to ensure the sustainability of community radio stations, said TCA Kalyani, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
Kalyani was addressing more than 260 community radio stations from all over India at the Seventh National Community Radio Sammelan in New Delhi. “We have taken many efforts for the community radio stations to sustain themselves.”
Kalyani said that various ministries and platforms are also using the community radio stations to create awareness about their schemes. “We need to make sure that the community radio stations are sustainable by themselves. We are planning a lot of activities in the coming months,” she said.
Source: OneWorld South Asia