[cr-india] I&B Minister on CR and FM radio

[Vickram Crishna]

At 10:34 AM +0000 11/19/04, sajan venniyoor wrote:
>The Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting (I&B), S. Jaipal 
>Reddy briefed media persons at the Economic Editors Conference in 
>New Delhi on 18 Nov 2004.
>
>The Hindu reports: "lamenting the fact that the community radio 
>policy had found few takers owing to the number of clearances 
>required, the Minister said he would consult his counterparts in the 
>Home Ministry and Telecommunications ministries to rationalise the 
>procedure. As per the Ministry, India has the technical potential 
>for 4,000 community radio stations.
>
>On FM radio, he said the Ministry was in the process of choosing a 
>merchant bank to advise it on the tendering process involved in 
>allocation of licences. Given the difficulties faced by operators in 
>the first phase of FM broadcasting in the country, he said efforts 
>were being made to plug the loopholes in its next phase. He said the 
>country had the technical scope for more than 400 FM radio stations 
>and the Ministry was in the process of finalising the policy 
>parameters for the second phase.

I must say I am quite disappointed. The man seems so much more 
sensible when he writes his columns. Truly, the center of power is a 
vacuum.

What's the experience of merchant banks in setting auction rules? 
When does the Minister intend 'consulting' his counterparts in other 
ministries? What was the previous minister doing? Is anyone in the 
country accountable? Who speaks for the millions who die of ignorance?

Where did the amazingly sickly number of 4,000 stations come from? Is 
the I&B ministry completely unaware of how many villages and 
communities there are in the country? Or are they all like Mr 
Bhatnagar, who told me in the Delhi meeting - in the presence of the 
TRAI members - that New York can have 72 stations because so many of 
them are underground (no, not pirates, but literally underground, 
serving the subway passengers). Looks like many more millions are 
doomed, as long as our government is ruled by ignorance.

And the fourth estate? What did the 'economic editors' have to say 
about all this? What would they have said if, mimicking IT industry's 
Mr Watson's famous assessment of the world's need for computers, they 
were told that India could meet all its print information needs with 
5 giant printing presses?
-- 
Vickram