'Spread of community radio is too slow'

PROFILE: Stalin K of Community Radio Forum

about the gaps in the community radio policy, which was implemented in November 2006 after a long struggle by the forum

SK Arora, outgoing secretary, information and broadcasting ministry, has said that India is set to get more than 4,000 community radio stations by 2009. Are we ready?

I am glad to see the enthusiasm of the government. But this enthusiasm has to be backed by concrete steps and procedures. Let's not forget that six years ago, the then I&B Minister LK Advani had said that India was set to get 2,000 radio stations.

We only have around 20 campus radio stations in the country and most of them are on air for around 30 minutes a day. There is not a single community radio station in the country. We are not set to achieve this ambitious goal.

Is the policy an obstacle?

The policy reads like a regulatory document and is not very encouraging. Applicants have to go through a very arduous procedure that involves three ministries and seven months. The legal framework discourages local innovators from making affordable transmitters, antennae etc.

The law requires that the applicants buy equipment only from "authorised dealers". We must all, especially the government, realise that this is a tremendous opportunity for the nation to give voice to its marginalised communities, to strengthen democracy. The government needs to see itself as a facilitator and not as a regulator.

Community radio has been successful in giving voice to those at the grassroot level. How do you see its role in the coming years?

Yes, in countries where community radio is allowed, it has played a very important role in airing the issues of the voiceless. It will play such a role in India, too. I see a very promising future, with hundreds of radio stations airing programmes in hundreds of dialects.

What are the constraints that NGOs and collaborators face in setting up community radio stations?

The policy allows NGOs to set up community radio stations. So we may have NGO radio stations and not community radio stations. NGOs have to ensure that what they are airing is truly of, for and by the community. The other constraint is the limited indigenous knowledge of radio technologies. The third is the application procedure itself.

What role do power equations within the community play in control of media technologies?

If we want to empower communities, we must understand that most technology is usurped by men.We must, therefore, ensure the participation and ownership of the most marginalised. Our forum recommends that the management should have a majority of women, dalits, tribals and people from other marginalised communities.

How is the community radio that you started in Gujarat faring?

In 1997, Drishti (the organisation Stalin heads) and Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan(KMVS), a women's organisation based in Bhuj, initiated one of the first community radio projects in the country. Radio Ujaas trained villagers in radio programming and has produced over 300 episodes of radio programme through community reporters trained by Drishti.

Last year, we started a similar project with the Centre for Social Justice in the tribal district of Dangs. Here too, programmes are produced by local tribal women and men who are trained by Drishti. All these programmes were broadcast on AIR stations by buying air-time since they did not have the right to own and operate their own stations.