The Government in order to give the Community Radio movement a fresh impetus would be providing Rs.100 crores in the XII Plan. During the Plan period, it was proposed to set up 500 new Community Radio Stations (CRS) also. This was stated by Shri Manish Tewari, Minister for Information & Broadcasting, while delivering the valedictory address at the 3rd National Community Radio Sammelan here today.

Shri Tewari further stated that the Ministry had identified key benchmarks for the Plan period whereby a roadmap would be prepared to provide assistance for operating Community Radio Stations. Elaborating on the proposal of the Plan fund, the minister said Rs.90 crores had been proposed for providing financial support, while Rs.10 crore was being proposed for training, capacity building and awareness activities of Community Radio Stations. Provisions had also been made for providing grants in this sector, for research and innovations. Taking into account the role and relevance of such interventions, the Minister further added that the Ministry has also made a provision for Emergency Grant for CRS. The Minister further mentioned that in order to encourage the working of such stations, several key proposals and initiatives were being looked into that included Peer Review of Community Radio Stations, capacity building of community Radio operators, Code of Ethics for self-regulation of content by Community Radio Stations. 

The Minister also elaborated on the efforts being made by the ministry in coordinating relevant issues with the Ministry of Communications & IT with regard to better frequency allocation plan for the CRSs. He mentioned that it was likely that the Department of Telecom would announce the spectrum waiver decision shortly. The need to facilitate a vibrant business model was in the offing to ensure the sustainability of the movement. Shri Tewari said, the ministry had taken the initiative to promote the streamlining and simplification of Community Radio empanelment through DAVP thereby ensuring that the empanelled stations got a fair share of Government advertisement.

The Minister also conferred various awards on the occasion. The awards were given for various categories to CRSs operating in different parts of the country. Lauding the efforts of the participants, Shri Tewari said the innovative work done by such institutions ensured community empowerment through communication dissemination. At the same time, it was a great effort at capacity building at the rural level promoting communication, content and dissemination in a form and language understood by the people. These Stations reflected the relevance of communicating to the community through a process identified and implemented within the community. The Minister gave the awards : Details are as under-

 

CP/ST

(Release ID :92141)

Community Radio expansion: plan funding and policy measures to support station operations, training, frequency access and sustainability. The Government proposes a dedicated Rs.100 crores Plan allocation to promote Community Radio Stations, comprising Rs.90 crores for financial support to stations and Rs.10 crores for training, capacity building and awareness, with additional grants for research, innovation and an Emergency Grant. The Ministry will implement benchmarks, peer review, operator capacity building and a Code of Ethics, coordinate with communications authorities for better frequency allocation and a likely spectrum waiver, and streamline empanelment with DAVP to improve access to government advertising.