Information Society Watch

November 20, 2006, The Hindu

Thanks to the recent clearing of the proposal to licence community radio stations, a group of four Dalit women will be broadcasting an hour-long programme from India's first community radio station. The station has been set up by Deccan Development Society (DDS), an NGO, through funding by UNESCO. Although there are at least three other community stations, they are dependent upon All India Radio for broadcasting, so the new policy will provide a useful platform. These Dalit women have already recorded 500 hours worth of material, addressing topics such as seeds, crop diversity, organic farming, health, hygiene, women's problems and sending children to school. In addition to hopes that the content will give this marginalised community a chance to make their voice heard, participants also wish that dying oral folk traditions will be revived.

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