Question : Broadcasting of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ Programme by CRSs

a) whether the Government proposes to take action against the community radio stations for creating an atmosphere against the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme as her Ministry has found after reviewing 30 radio stations in National Capital Region (NCR) that most of these radio stations are not broadcasting the programme in a proper manner;
b) the basis on which these community radio stations have failed to meet the Government norms for the broadcast of the programmes;
c) the recommendations made by the Inter-Ministry Committee in the report on community radio stations; and
d) the number of community radio stations in the country against which her Ministry proposes to take action and whether this is in violation of the rules under which the licences were issued to them?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING [COL RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE (Retd.)]

(a) to (d) As per the advisory issued by Ministry / All India Radio, all News and Current Affairs TV channels, all FM Radio channels and all Community Radio stations may like to broadcast / telecast ‘Mann ki Baat’ simultaneously, by availing free feed from AIR and DD News. Therefore, the question of taking action does not arise against such CR stations who do not follow the advisory.
In 2014, a point was mentioned in e-Samiksha regarding monitoring of Community Radio (CR) stations. Accordingly, 30 CR stations were directed to submit recording of their 90 days broadcast. Subsequently, the matter was reviewed and the monitoring of the content being broadcast by CR stations was delegated to the State/District Level Monitoring Committees.
On the recommendation of Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) – Regulation of Programmes and Advertising Telecast on Private TV Satellite Channels as per Cable TV Network Act, 1995, some CR stations were issued warning for broadcasting content in violation of All India Radio (AIR) Code and conditions laid down in GOPA. However, it was not in respect of broadcast of ‘Mann ki Baat’ programme.

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