[cr-india] Community radio gets Rs 50 mn for 2012-13

[Arti Jaiman]

Community radio gets Rs 50 mn for 2012-13
              
               
                 
              
               
                 
                   
                    By BB NAGPAL

                    Indiantelevision.com Team
                
              
               
                

              
               
                 
                  (7 
                    June 2012 5:04 pm)
                
              
               
                

              
               
                 
                   
                    NEW DELHI: A Planned Scheme of "Supporting Community 
                    Movement in India" has been conceived to provide grants 
                    to Community Radio Stations in the range of Rs 100,000 to 
                    Rs 1.5 million depending on the purpose for which the grant 
                    is sought.

                    

                    Under this scheme, a provision has been made to award grants 
                    for infrastructure/ equipment to scale the growth of new community 
                    radio stations especially in remote and rural areas that have 
                    little access to media as well as stations managed by disadvantaged 
                    and marginalised communities.

                    

                    The Parliamentary Standing Committee for Information Technology, 
                    while welcoming the move, wanted the Information and Broadcasting 
                    to take up the matter urgently with the Planning Commission 
                    for its early clearance the plan is yet to receive in-principle 
                    approval. 
                  
                     
                        
                        
                        

                    
                  
                   
                    The Ministry has requested a grant of Rs 1.5 billion. While 
                    the scheme has been sent to Planning Commission for in-principle 
                    approval, an amount of Rs 50 million had been allocated in 
                    Budget Estimates 2012-13, out of which Rs 30 million has been 
                    earmarked for funding and Rs 20 million for IEC (Information, 
                    Education and Communication) activities.

                    .

                    Asked why only Rs 50 million had been sanctioned when the 
                    Ministry had sought Rs 1.5 billion, the Ministry told the 
                    Committee that more funds will be requested after in principle 
                    approval and the Ministry is in touch with the Planning Commission 
                    in this connection.

                    

                    Apart from taking up the issue of adequate funds for the Scheme 
                    during the Twelfth plan with Planning Commission, efforts 
                    should also be made for full utilisation of Rs 50 million 
                    allocated for the year 2012-13.

                    

                    Under the scheme, provision has been made to award grants 
                    for infrastructure/equipment to scale the growth of new CRS 
                    especially in remote and rural areas that have little access 
                    to media, as well as stations managed by disadvantaged and 
                    marginalised communities.
                  
                     
                        
                        
                        

                    
                  
                  Broadcasting 
                    Engineering Consultant India Ltd. (BECIL), a public sector 
                    enterprise under the Ministry has designed cost effective 
                    transmitters and antenna for CR stations. BECIL also helps 
                    CRS in installation and maintenance throughout the country.

                    

                    The Committee said it was of the "strong view that lack 
                    of financial support being a major hurdle in way of CR expansion, 
                    the Scheme will definitely bring good relief and encourage 
                    those applicants who refrained from applying due to financial 
                    considerations".

                    

                    A Working Group set up by the Ministry to suggest a mechanism 
                    to provide state funding to CRS had earlier suggested a corpus 
                    fund but this could not materialise due to Ministry of Finance 
                    Guidelines not allowing creation of fund either out of revenue 
                    or out of Government borrowing. 

                    

                    The Committee observed that the Government had approved the 
                    policy in 2002 for grant of licenses for setting up of CRS 
                    to well established education, institutions including IITs/IIMs.

                    

                    While 130 CRS are operational in the country, the Ministry 
                    told the Committee that 1026 applications have been received 
                    since 2002 when the first policy of CRS was brought out. Out 
                    of 363 permissions issued so far, 165 Grant of permission 
                    agreement (GOPA) have been signed and 268 applications are 
                    under the consideration for grant of permission at various 
                    stages.

                    

                    The Committee noted with concern that out of the 268 applications, 
                    as many as 110 applications were pending with various Ministries 
                    such as Home, Defence, Human Resource Development; the Wireless 
                    Planning Commission wing of Department of Telecommunications; 
                    and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

                    

                    The Committee felt that the I&B Ministry being the sole 
                    authority responsible for spread of CR Movement should co-ordinate 
                    with the concerned Ministries/agencies for early clearance 
                    of pending applications so that community radio services spread 
                    fast in the country reaching out to large population.
                
              
               
                 

Arti Jaiman

Station Director : Gurgaon Ki Awaaz Samudayik Radio Station 107.8 MHz FM
email: arti at trfindia.org
website: www.trfindia.org 

Gurgaon Ki Awaaz is the first and only civil-society-led community radio station in the National Capital Region of Delhi. Since 2009, we have been broadcasting 22X7, in Hindi and Haryanvi, with a team of community reporters who generate community content with community participation. 
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