NEW DELHI: Policy changes in the existing Community Radio Guidelines and quality of content being broadcast from the CRS will be taken up during the first National Community Radio Sammelan for operational Community Radio Stations of India, to be inaugurated by Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni here tomorrow.

Organized by the Ministry in association with the Commonwealth Education Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi from seven to nine April, the Sammelan will also take up strategies to engage the community in programme production, funding and sustainability, encouraging and popularizing local cultural talent etc. Enhancement of stakeholders' coordination in their effort to make community radio sustainable and more effective partner in development, increasing scope of collaboration between organizations working on developmental issues, and furthering the use of new media and innovative/appropriate technology in the community radio sector will also be taken up.

The meet will bring together 107 functional CRS from across the country. In addition, policy makers from various Government Departments like Health, Rural Development, Information Technology, Science and Technology, Agriculture, Panchayati Raj, CAPART etc  and several UN, National and other International organizations like UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank, One World Asia, AMIC, Community Radio Forum etc. are also participating in the Sammelan. A Poster Exhibition has also been organized on the sidelines of the Sammelan.

The consultation will bring together community broadcasters and other key stakeholders such as non-governmental organizations, media activists, academia and the policy makers to take stock of the achievements of this burgeoning sector of radio broadcasting in India, and explore ways to take this movement to the next level 

The consultation seeks to analyse, assess the current Community Radio Policy in achieving the goals of disseminating information, strengthening grass-root democracy and fulfilling social development objectives and discuss issues of financial and social sustainability of Community Radio Stations. The discussions will help design joint action strategies and define the role of organizations such as UNESCO, CRF, CEMCA, various Government Departments and other partners in strengthening the CR movement.

The Ministry is mandated to permit eligible organizations to run CRS under the Policy Guidelines of 2006. The Ministry feels Community Radio is an extraordinary and invisible medium to give voice to the voiceless. It provides an opportunity to the community to speak about issues concerning their lives. It can also facilitate development by disseminating information regarding rural development, agriculture, health, nutrition, education, and Panchayati Raj issues enabling social change through communication.

The Ministry has so far issued 278 Letters of Intent (LOI), 130 Grant of Permission Agreement (GOPA) have been signed and 107 Community Radio Stations have become operational. Out of these, 72 are run by Educational Institutions, 27 by community-based organizations and eight by Krishi Vigyan Kendra/State Agriculture Institutions 

The Ministry has been organizing Awareness Workshops all over the country from 2007. Around 28 Workshops have been organized so far. In 2010-11, the Ministry has organized eight Workshops in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Maharashtra and Delhi 

The Ministry has also organized Capacity Building Workshops for the operational CRS this year to spread awareness and build capacities of the NGOs and other organizations to operate Community Radio Stations in an effective way.