Community Radio is a medium which possesses the power to change our thinking to move in a positive direction in a very balanced way. This helps the development of a particular community. Community Radio (CR) has developed as a movement over the past years. At this particular point of time, we have around 160 operational CR Stations spread across the country. Due to encouragement and positive outlook of the people towards Community Radio, there is no doubt that in a very short period of time, CR will make a place for itself not only in every state but also every district, every village and every panchayat of India. A lot needs to be done, though so much has been done for it. The achievements made so far in the CR sector are like a drop in the ocean because much remains to be done.

The knowledge and awareness amongst people regarding Community Radio is still very low. Though the Ministry has put in a lot of efforts by publishing advertisements in newspapers and also spreading awareness through radio to reach people who want to set up CR Stations, yet a lot of effort is needed to generate further awareness. Secondly, the license procedure through which Community Radio licenses are granted needs to be further simplified.

A single window for CR applicants

The Ministry has been trying to ensure that the many steps involved in obtaining permission from various ministries are combined so that it takes much less time to obtain the licenses. To this end, the Ministry has been trying to get other line Ministries and Departments along to simplify the licensing procedure to such an extent that who ever applies for a Community Radio is able to get all permissions within a period of three months to launch the station. They do not have to go through a number of departments. A lot of development has also not taken place in this field due to the fact that many organizations granted permission to set up Community Radio Stations did not have facilities to make their stations. Funds to the tune of Rs 15 lakh are required to set up a CR station and accumulating such a huge amount of finance has not been an easy task for many NGOs and organisations. More than 400 LOIs have been granted but around 160 stations are operational at this moment and solutions have been identified for many a problem. This would take the CR movement forward in the coming years.

Supriya Sahu is Joint Secretary (Broadcasting) with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India