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NEW DELHI: The first ten community radio stations in India
are to receive a sum of $ 60,000 from Unesco's International
Programme for the Development of Communication (Unesco-IPDC).
The funds are expected to support community radio stations
especially in tribal belts, in collaboration with organizations
such as Alternative India Development (AID). Support will
be extended in specific areas of technology choices, advice,
maintenance and technical training at the community level
with a view to the development of the community radio movement
and industry in India.
The approval to this aid follows recent events that Unesco has
helped, such as the technical exhibition and forum at the BES
Expo 2007 as well as the National Consultation for practicing
and potential community radio operators in India supported by
the UNCT (United Nations Country Team) organized by the Information
and Broadcasting Ministry.
Unesco is holding further consultations with its UN partners
with a view to consolidating a joint funding approach to accompany
the Government's plan to support the establishment of 4000 Community
Radio stations by 2008.
As part of its overall package of $ 242,000 for its New Delhi
office, IPDC has also approved a project proposal submitted
by One World South Asia (OWSA) for $ 150,00 for the reinforcement
of a Community Multimedia Centre to serve the marginalized weaver
communities of Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh.
A further $ 91,000 was approved for communication projects in
other South Asian countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan and
Nepal, while $ 76,000 went to support regional projects submitted
by Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC, Singapore),
Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD, Kuala
Lumpur) and the New Delhi-based International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ, South Asia)
IPDC is a forum designed to develop free and pluralistic media
with a global approach to democratic development. Members of
the Bureau met from 27 March to 29 March to evaluate 110 media
development project proposals from 80 countries submitted to
them this year.
According to Unesco sources here, the IPDC is guided by four
priorities of the Programme: promotion of freedom of expression
and media pluralism, development of community media, capacity
building of media professionals and promotion of international
partnerships. |
