बनावट रॉयल्टी छापणारा अटकेत |
काही अधिकार्‍यांचा समावेश |
रॅकेटचा पर्दाफाश : वाळू तस्करीप्रकरणी मोहाडी पोलिसांचा सेंधवाला छापा |
धुळे : शिरपूर तालुक्यातील हिसपूर येथून मुंबईकडे जाणार्‍या वाळूच्या तस्करी प्रकरणातील बनावट रॉयल्टी पावती संगणकावर तयार करणारा व प्रीन्स दामोदर गुप्ता (वय ३0, रा. टिळक रोड, सेंधवा) यास शनिवारी सेंधवा येथे मोहाडी पोलिसांनी रंगेहाथ पकडले. या प्रकरणी आठवा आरोपी गळाला लागल्याने रॅकेटचा पर्दाफाश झाला आहे. |
Monday, July 7, 2014
Lokmat dt 6-jul-2014 hello dhule
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
CR - THE JOURNEY SO FAR...
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Comprehensive review of India’s CR Policy should be the next step
Comprehensive review of India's CR Policy should be the next step
[Courtesy: Community Radio Facilitation Centre, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting]
Prof. Vinod Pavarala, the UNESCO Chair on Community Media at University of Hyderabad, says that the Community Radio Policy has not been revised in the last ten years and thus suffers from redundancies. the biggest issue being that of a multiple window policy because of which Community Radios have to wait a long time to get their license.
What do you think are some of the challenges in the Community Radio policy?
We are looking at the policy ten years after it was first formulated. We have come some distance but I think it is high time there is a comprehensive review of the policy. One of the big issues that the CR sector is raising is the objection to broadcasting news. I think there is enough inclination in the government to rethink that ban on news.
I think in Community Radio globally, news and information of local relevance may be the heart and soul of the sector, restricting it is not the wise thing any more.
Secondly, we need to prioritise licensing in so called conflict areas. It is probably not strictly to do with the policy but it needs to be added that we need to give priority to community access to airwaves in such area. Whereas the government for a long time has been wary about opening up the airwaves in those areas where they are worried about extremism and so on but, we have been saying that Community Radio can be a voice for peace and for conflict resolution in those areas. I think there is some change coming but, it is important to put it in the policy.
The third thing we have been saying is that there are certain areas of the country where geographical location and terrain make it very difficult for FM waves to go very far. The current restriction of 50 watt transmitter with 100 ERP is clearly not sufficient for those stations.
In the past in the areas like Kutch, for example, the villages are so far apart that the 50 watt transmitter doesn't really make sense. I mean you would reach three or four villages. We really need to clearly make an exception in those areas to increase the wattage of the transmitter. I think there is something to that effect in the policy but it is not very active.
Nobody has ever considered increasing the wattage of the transmitter in certain areas like that. Wherever there is an exceptional need, we should give out possibly a 200 watt transmitter and that will make a big difference. These are some immediate challenges I find we need to address.
With respect to licensing specially, what are the challenges we should immediately take stock of?
With all the good intention of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the 9 month time period is not happening for getting a license and going on air. We really need to simplify the procedure, the government keeps talking about the single window clearance system. I think that is a procedural issue.
I have been making the point, for the last two-three years, that we need an integrated policy on community radio which is to say that it is not an MI&B policy. There should also be a Government of India policy on community radio which brings on board all the key actors. This would include the Ministry of Information and Communication for example which gives out frequencies through the Wireless Planning and Coordination wing.
All the ministries should come on board to prioritise community radio, if you talk about disaster mitigation and community radio, bringing in those agencies on board would really help them to get the emergency licenses during disasters, even during the Uttarakhand disaster, the stations tried desperately to get emergency licenses but it did not happen. By the time everybody got their act together, the emergency had passed, the dire need had passed.
So, the single window clearance procedure is good but, on a larger view an integrated policy is very important. I think there are some efforts already being made to facilitate the licensing process through CRFC. But, we need to do more.
I am not happy with the screening committee procedure also. Imagine small NGOs or small groups have to come to Delhi all the way to face the big inter-ministerial board. What is happening is that many of them are coming with very candid responses. Everybody comes up with the same questions and just imagine the whole expense, the inter-ministerial committee has no statutory standing. We should simplify this process.
In the past I have suggested that if you really want to check out the credentials of the organizations, get reports from the ground, ask people in the community, do you have an objection to the organization running a community radio station, have they been representing the issues of the community through other means in last five years. Check out their potential without having to come to Delhi. There are annual reports, there are social audit mechanisms, community audit mechanisms, you can do all of that, the whole screening committee is intimidating. All of them just sit there, asking tough questions. I think that can be liberalized further.
Prof. Vinod Pavarala is the UNESCO Chair on Community Media at University of Hyderabad.
Community Radio Post
Kapil Sibal waives spectrum fee hike for Community Radios
Highly placed sources in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology have said that Sibal has issued instructions to R Chandrashekhar, a secretary in the Department of Telecommunications, to waive off all license fee for community radio stations. It will come as a huge relief to such radio stations. In a letter addressed to Gandhi, Roy had highlighted the issue 'regarding the exorbitant fivefold license fee hike from Rs 19,700 to Rs 91,000 by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.' In her petition to Gandhi, Roy pointed out the following: 'The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has been largely supportive of Community Radio and I&B Secretary Uday Kumar Varma has written a letter to the Secretary DoT, R Chandrashekhar to reconsider the hiking of the fees in May 2012.' Roy's petition also had support of many community radio organisations, like the Digital Empowerment Forum, Barefoot College and the gram panchayat of Dandasli. Roy reminded Gandhi in the letter that earlier a similar petition was sent to her by the community radio activist Stalin K. Roy also said, 'Community radio operators have been petitioning since then for an exemption in spectrum fees and are now instead faced with this mammoth fee increase, which will surely kill this fledgling initiative.' 'Community radio is a powerful tool for the poor, not-for-profit companies meant to serve society. They have enormous benefits as an information and communication tool and are being used to great effect all over the country,' added Roy in the letter. | |||||||
CR NEWS: JUNE-SEPTEMBER 2012Download PDF version of CR NEWS
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The incisive letter that the National Advisory Council (NAC) member Aruna Roy wrote to the Congress president Sonia Gandhi on 6 July has had desired effect. Roy had opposed the five-fold increase in license fee for community radios, as per sources. The sources have told 'Millennium Post' that the communications minister Kapil Sibal has decided to scrap the fee for community radio stations altogether.
