Pitroda calls for 1,000 community radio stations in a year

15 Sep, 2007, 2030 hrs IST, IANS


PUDUCHERRY: Chairman of the National Knowledge Commission Sam Pitroda has called for at least 1,000 community radio stations to be set up in the country in a year's time.

In a video message to participants at a media workshop in Auroville here, Pitroda also called for greater awareness of radio's usefulness.

Expressing concern over the ban on news and current events under India's radio policy, Pitroda said he believed that "the community radio can fulfil its objectives to facilitate exchange and bring out more information on events of local importance".

He emphasised the "need for accessible and affordable technology to enable a larger number of CR (community radio) stations".

Is community radio working in India? Not really, if participants at the workshop are to be heard.

It is much easier to get a commercial license for an FM station than a license for community radio, activists said at a two-day workshop here, pointing out that India's current radio regulation is heavily tilted against community radio.

The workshop was jointly organized by UNDP, Madurai-based Dhan Foundation, Voices and Space (Kerala) to promote awareness about community radio as a novel tool of empowerment.

At its conclusion, the participant organisations set up the South Indian Community Media Network to negotiate better radio laws and to take steps to ensure that technology is accessible and affordable at all.

In her keynote address, Rama Kashyap, Social Equity Advisor for United Nations Tsunami Recovery Support, highlighted the UN's efforts in supporting community media initiatives in India.

She particularly mentioned initiatives like 'Nammadhwani' in Karnataka, 'Kalanjiam Samuga Vanol' in Tamil Nadu, all functioning on the principle of "by the community, for the community, with the community".

"NGOs must see that CR becomes the voice of the voiceless and for the community to develop," she said.

Team leader P. Krishnamurthi of Dhan Foundation in Madurai, which runs a community radio, said that in the past five to six months the ministry of information and broadcasting had not issued any FM license for community stations, though 90 applications from all over the country had been submitted.

The key issues that emerged were access, equity, and the potential of community media initiatives to address local information needs and enable participation from marginalised groups.

"Though nearly a year has passed since the government endorsed the guidelines, nothing is happening on the ground. Grassroots communities have not been able to get the needed license and bandwidth from the ministry to operate community radio stations," NGO groups pointed out.

In sharp contrast, 26 radios are broadcasting on different Indian campuses and universities. "It is unfortunate that it is easier today to get a commercial license to run a FM station than to obtain a community radio license," they said.

The participants noted that according to the guidelines, the nodal ministry has to get clearances from several other ministries (amongst them, defence, human resource development, home and external affairs).

They urged the government to simplify the license application procedure, and enable processing of applications in a transparent and time-bound manner.

They also urged revocation of the ban on news to promote local information dissemination and provide parity between campus and community radio with regard to license approval. They sought relaxation of the 'three years' registration clause for applicants in special circumstances like disaster and emergency.

The need for low cost and mixed media technologies was also emphasized.

The South Indian Community Media Network said here a memorandum will be presented to the information and broadcasting ministry, highlighting the key issues of concern on the policy and practice of community radio.

Perhaps with someone like Sam Pitroda supporting, community radio will become a reality in a year's time.