Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur on February 13 released revised policy guidelines for setting up Community Radio Stations (CRS) in India on the occasion of World Radio Day.
The guidelines include an increase in advertising rate to ₹74 per 10 seconds and advertising time to 12 minutes per hour. They also provide that 50% of the Advisory and Content Committee members will be women.
Mr. Thakur released the guidelines during the Regional Community Radio Sammelan (South) at Anna University, Chennai. Speaking on the occasion, he highlighted the importance of community radio in his keynote address: “Community radio stations offer a platform where content is disseminated in localised dialects and regional languages. Local, context-specific issues are raised and discussed in these stations in local idioms. The government is committed to its mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas aur Sabka Prayas’. It is important to realise the importance of community radio in this direction,” he said.
