National meet on community radio to be held on Mar 16

To deliberate on the vision for the community radio movement in India and its role in setting the agenda on development discourse at the local level, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry will hold a 'National Sammelan for Community Radio Stations' on March 16.
"The Sammelan will bring together community radio operators, policy makers, ministries, departments, the UN and other International bodies like UNICEF and UNESCO and other stakeholders for exchange of ideas and cross learning," an official statement released here said.
The three-day workshop will discuss several important issues such as the role of community radios in good governance, sustainability, content sharing and programming for development, the statement added.

I&B minister Arun Jaitley will inaugurate the sammelan, which will be the fifth of its kind. Minister of State for I&B Rajyavardhan Rathore will also be present.
The I&B Ministry has so far issued 409 permissions to set up community radio stations in the country out of which 179 stations have become operational.
The session will also delve into the role that community radio can play in community learning, promoting livelihoods and agriculture, promoting water conservation and sanitation, strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions, financial inclusion, legal literacy and facilitating access to justice for marginalized communities.

A compendium containing inspiring stories of community radios from all over the country will be released while National Community Radio Awards would also be presented.

The I&B Ministry has been organising the National Community Radio Sammelan every year since 2011. The Ministry has also organised 63 workshops in various parts of the country to increase awareness about community radio.
The Ministry has also streamlined the approval process for setting up of community radio stations.
The applicants can now apply online and track the status of their pending application through a comprehensive community radio management information system.
The Ministry has also introduced a plan scheme to provide financial assistance to existing and new community radio stations. It has also also been advocating various ministries like Health, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Science and Technology and Tribal Affairs to use the medium of community radio to reach out to the masses.