A day after a missive went out to community radio stations from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry directing them to email their content on a daily basis, its Secretary Bimal Julka clarified that the order was passed without consulting him.
“Radio stations are not required to follow the order,” he said. Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Julka regretted that the April 30 order was sent out from his Ministry to the stations.
“We want community radio stations to prosper and will continue to encourage them,” he added.
On a fresh order, Mr. Julka said his Ministry would follow it up soon. “All that the radio stations will be obliged to do is to conform to the programme and advertising code of the government,” he said, adding a senior official had jumped the gun by shooting off the order without consulting him.
The Hindu had reported that the government was intimidating these radio stations by asking them to email their content to the Ministry daily.
The order had asked for a complete recording in MP3 format along with the logbook and Q sheet.
Orders such as the one issued on April 30 are often meant to wield control over radio stations which are barred from airing news.
The Supreme Court is examining a petition filed by NGO Common Cause seeking the court’s direction to allow news on radio as operators are currently barred from broadcasting their own news.
