SVSS - Community Radio Station - 91.2 MHz FM Radio Awaaz

Innovative approach to reach community we organize series of Community Level Events

The Community Radio Station (CRS) – “91.2 Radio Awaaz” operational by Swami Vivekanand Shiksha Samiti, (SVSS)

Background: - Community Radio is a must for social inclusion – Access to media & ICTs should not be viewed as an end in itself but as a means to the ultimate goal of social development inclusion.

“Community Radio By the People for the People about the People” - Community radio helps the remotest communities to integrate into the national & global economics, and the development of knowledge – based economies. Community radio is known to improve governance by enabling people to hold local governments to account for delivery of services. It brings out the best in community participation in development. It has been used by farmers to negotiate better prices at local markets, villages to engage in the national economy & citizens to access knowledge on issues & services.

Semi Urban & rural communities in contrast are usually culture specific, responding to needs, demands and even cultural traditions that often remain unnoticed by outsiders. In many of these societies, the oral tradition of communication is still the most accepted and trusted mode of information dissemination and their spoken language a locally evolved dialect unique to the community. Additionally the effective delivery of programmes related to market prices, education, health, HIV & AIDS, TB, Malaria, hygiene & Sanitation, employment, agriculture & rural development activities, gender mainstreaming, youth, cultural heritage, capital investment, human rights, legal rights, rights of the child, drug abuse & prevention, traditional entertainment programmes & much more issues etc which is relevant to the listener encourage, educate & aware the communities to adopt the technology as inclusion for their self in development process and participate in digital identification status & transaction.

With new multimedia technologies, Community Radio becomes an even more useful voice for change & betterment.

Objective of the community radio station is the dissemination of information to enhance living standard of marginalized farmers & peoples who can access to TV, radio or newspapers but not in the educative or informative manner because of their insufficient literacy to understand that what is good or what is wrong for them. Lack of potential information and proper use of information is always missing by the viewer or listener due to negligence of the information based on local issue.

The various modes of radio broadcasting, especially community radio has an important role to play. Due to its focus on local concerns and aspirations and the interactive nature of its programming, community radio can be a powerful medium for education & development of farmer’s and rural people. Some of these objectives are: -

• Enhancing participation of farmer’s & rural people in the development process.
• Capacity building of farmers & rural community areas, through informative & experience sharing programmes.
• Providing opportunities to people to upgrade their skills and enhance their creative talent, sharing their experience & knowledge.
• Creating rural networks of agriculture & allied sector, Health, Education, and Social issues, financial inclusions with in community.
• Strengthening development issues by technology & its transfer to grassroots.
• Bringing within easy reach of the rural population, tropical information in areas of agriculture & allied, social welfare, education, health, environment and information & technology.

Details of the Community residing in the Radio Frequency coverage area

Around 30% to 40% of total people are living below the poverty line, have poor literacy rates, suffer from malnutrition, diseases and vulnerable to displacement. With the increasing pressure on land, undulating area and rain fed irrigation have been brought under cultivation with consequent loss of fertility. In addition to this, lacks of irrigation facilities are availability. The villages are having very less forest land. The main occupations of the villagers are daily wage and cultivation. Still due to lack of sufficient information systems they were facing different challenges for getting livelihood opportunities & availing of govt. development schemes.

Radio Frequency Coverage area:

The radio station it is covering about 50 Sq Km radius and its programs can be heard in 4 districts namely Sehore, Bhopal, Rajgarh and Shajapur. So it has a very vide listening zone predominately rural area and some tribal belt also.

Malavi & Hindi language is the local dialect which is popular and spoken in the area.

Expected number of population coverage

The station it is covering about 50 Sq Km radius and its programs can be heard in 4 district sehore itself & adjoining borders of 3 districts namely Bhopal, Rajgarh and Shajapur. So it has a very vide listening zone predominately rural area and some tribal belt also. That’s why the expected number of direct & indirect beneficiaries from 50 to 70 villages & because of semi urban area of sehore is also in listening zone and around direct and indirect 190000 to 215000 populations are benefited by radio programmes in sehore.

Programmes content broadcast at present

Religious bhajan, Abhivyakti, Vani, Kahaniyo ka pitara, Aap ki Rasoi, Vatan ka Rag, Khet Khaliyan - Agriculture Programmes, platform for Local talent, Panchayati Raj Issues, Sachhi Saheli – Programe for Adolescents girls & women health issues, programme as per demand by community & Phone in programme every Saturday & Sunday entertainment & feedback of broadcasted programmes.