Community radio: MPs tune in to Dharmendra funds plea

Perhaps it was only befitting that BJP MP and actor Dharmendra pointed out that if MPs could part with their MPLADS money—more specifically, if each MP could fund at least two Community Radio Stations—community radio would bloom. Each MP gets Rs 2 crore annually.

As per the admission of the ministry, a total of 60 applications had been received, of which 38 eligible applications had been sent to the other concerned ministries for clearance. Letters of intent had been signed in 26 cases and licence agreements in 10 cases.

Dharmendra’s comments made at the Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting recently got the ministry thinking, sources said.

Addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to the Ministries of Information and Broadcasting, and Culture, I&B Minister Jaipal Reddy said community radio has socio-economic and cultural relevance, as it caters to the information and entertainment needs of small communities and the programmes have local flavour.

Other parliamentary members who attended the meeting, sources said, agreed on the usefulness of community radios, but expressed concern on the funding ability of the community/organisations in the remote rural areas since they are run on a no-profit basis. Also, the restriction of advertisement time—four minutes to an hour leaves little room for generating funds to run the station.