New Delhi: Taking to social media like
Twitter and Facebook in a big way, the Information and
Broadcasting ministry on Saturday posted minute-by-minute accounts
of a seminar on Community Radio on five websites
simultaneously.
As the Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni
spoke to the gathering, a tweet flashed on microblogging site
Twitter - "Radio is MoIB`s flagship programme says Ambika Soni,
Union Minster, Minister of Information and Broadcasting."
"Lack of financial resources is the challenge Community
Radio stations are facing these days -Uday Kumar Verma," said
another tweet when Verma, the Secretary, I and B ministry
spoke.
Officials said that not just the two accounts on Twitter,
one on Facebook but in all five websites were providing live
feed about the goings on at the 2nd Community Radio Sammelan.
"This was a first of its kind initiative by the ministry.
It will help us create a better outreach," said a senior
ministry official.
At the seminar, Soni and senior officials expressed
optimism about the prospects of growth of Community Radio
stations and said making such stations, which run in remote
areas for the benefit of small communities, financially
sustainable was a major concern.
"We have sought allocation for a fund in the XII five
year plan for Community Radio. Let us see to what extent we
get the fund", Soni told reporters.
"However, till the time we do not get financial
assistance, we are thinking of advertisements like those of
Bharat Nirman, we will try to provide more sustenance to
Community Radio stations," she added.
Secretary Uday Kumar Verma said that as a measure to
support the Community Radio, advertisement rates had been
raised from one Rupee per second to four Rupees per second.
PTI
