[cr-india] CR for the disabled

[sajan venniyoor]

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Prof. Vindod Sena attended the TRAI Open House in Delhi and made a powerful appeal for Radio for the vision-impaired. 

Prof Sena, a retired Delhi University professor, founded the Shruti Information Centre which also runs India's 'the first comprehensive website for visually-challenged people'- www.indev.nic.in/shruti/

Prof. Sena is himself vision-impaired. Here is his second letter to TRAI.

Sajan.

On Sat, 22 May 2004 Professor Vinod Sena wrote :
>To,
>Mr. Pradeep Baijal
>Chairman
>TRAI
>
>Dear Mr. Baijal,
>
>You would probably recall my raising the possibility of FM stations being used to serve the needs of marginalized groups such as the blind, when you held your public hearing at Hotel Samrat on 12 May. I had also written to you the same day to record my concerns.
>
>I am now addressing this as a second message in continuation of the first, in order to relate my point to the concept of Community Radio. Broadcasting has the same primacy in the world of the blind as television has in that of the sighted. Recognizing this, many countries have for years been using radio as an important channel for programmes for their unsighted citizens. I have discussed the issue with the top executives of three major organizations working nationally for the blind and they all would like to reinforce the relevance of Community Radio for the visually-disabled :
>   1.. Mr. J. L. Kaul, Secretary General of the Asian Blind Women and CEO, All India Confederation of the Blind, Braille Bhawan, Institutional Area, Sector-V, Rohini, Delhi -110 085, Mobile : 9810684208, E-mail: aicbdelhi at yahoo.com
>
>   2.. Mr. Dipendra Manocha, Senior Executive, National Association for the Blind, Sector-V, R.K.Puram, New Delhi - 110 022, Mobile : 35732323, E-mail: dipendram at vsnl.net
>
>   3.. Col. Pradeep Kapoor, Secretary, Volunteers for the Blind, D 7, Defence Colony, New Delhi - 110 024, Mobile : 35004014, E-mail : vftblind at yahoo.com
>If provision is made for such radio services for the blind and vision-impaired, they could cover the following kinds of programme :
>   1.. In depth reporting and analysis, and discussion of news of the kind that is possible through print media but not offered currently on radio and television.
>   2.. Radio reading services which provide the serialized narration of well selected books, usually in half hour or 45 minutes slots.
>   3.. Educational back-up for the blind.
>   4.. Information on concessions, employment opportunities, scholarships, etc. for persons with special needs.
>   5.. Interviews with blind celebrities and others important for the blindness field.
>   6.. Phone-in programmes on specific eye care and visual disability issues with eye specialists
>   7.. Talks by specialists on different issues relating to the visually-disabled, their housing, education, recreation and employment.
>It may not be viable to sustain such programmes round the clock, and the framework for Community Radio should permit the use of upto 40% of broadcast time for popular skits, songs, instrumental music and some advertising.
>
>In fact, just as in the case of commercial FM stations, I had proposed at your public hearing a lower license fee if they provided 10% to 20% of broadcast time for programmes relevant to marginalized communities and educational programmes, I would now argue the same principle from the other side. In fact, if you did not raise the issue of the terms of reference under which  TRAI is functioning, and issues of content and carriage can be combined, I would argue in favour of a sliding scale in which as one increases the time for community based services, say from 10% upwards,  the license fee is progressively reduced. This would make for eminent sense and for a flexible regimen if a given licensee fee wishes to raise or lower broadcast time for community based services, his license fee goes down or goes up accordingly. In that event you do not need to draw barriers between commercial FM and Community Radio.
>
>I would look forward to receiving a soft copy of the consultation paper on Community Radio when put out by TRAI. I would also like to be informed about the date of your public hearing for Community Radio.
>
>Sincerely,
>Vinod Sena