Parliament Question: Operation of Community Radios in Meerut

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 6085 (TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026)

OPERATION OF COMMUNITY RADIOS IN MEERUT:

6085. SHRI ARUN GOVIL:

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

(a) whether many universities and educational institutions in Meerut district are operating community radios and these radios are playing an important role in the dissemination of knowledge regarding science, health, education and Government schemes;

(b) the details of policy of the Government to encourage community radios operating in the country;

(c) the number of community radios functioning across the country;

(d) whether the Government has any plan to provide advertising or budgetary support to community radio keeping in view its importance in educating the public; and

(e) if so, the details of plan of the Government for opening new community radios in the Meerut Lok Sabha Constituency?ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (Dr. L. MURUGAN)

(a) to (e):

563 Community Radio Stations (CRSs) are operational in the country out of which, Five (05) are operational in Meerut.

Community radios are supported under "Supporting Community Radio Movement in India" – a Central Sector Scheme. The objectives of the scheme are to strengthen new and existing Community Radio Stations (CRSs) with resources, capacity and technology. To promote growth of community radio, particularly in remote and rural areas, support is provided under the scheme. It facilitates socio-economic and cultural development by providing communities with a platform for local voices and participation in development processes.

The key components of the scheme are as follows:  Providing financial assistance to new and existing CRSs for procurement or replacement of equipment;  Capacity building and training of community radio operators;

 Organisation of workshops, seminars and regional/national Sammelans for gathering feedback, creating awareness and promoting knowledge sharing;

The Government has also developed a content sharing platform on the NaViGate Bharat Portal to archive and share community radio content among the Community Radio Stations. It enables stations to upload and reuse quality programmes, creating a centralized repository of development and cultural content. The policy guidelines on CRS are available at the official

website of the Ministry at https://mib.gov.in.

The Government supports CRSs through Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) by providing paid advertisements to empanelled CRSs for dissemination of government information. ****