NEW DELHI: Twelve functional community radios in Odisha are all set to mark the World Radio Day next week.

The event at the initiative of the Community Radio Association of Odisha will demonstrate radio’s ability to provide a platform to the community to air their opinion, grievances, good deeds etc.

A ‘Radio on Wheels’ will move around Bhubaneswar’s underprivileged areas and take their opinions which will be broadcast live.

The campaign ‘Radio on Wheels’ will be flagged off by Central Reserve Police Force IGP Kamal Kant Sharma from the CRPF Campus, Bhubaneswar at 10 am on 13 February 2017. It will in the course of the day reach communities of Satyakali Basti in Satya Nagar, the members of Odisha Association for the Blind (OAB) and finally Scientists, Students and farming communities at OUAT, Bhubaneswar.

It will also interact with people during the journey to allow the community to speak about themselves which will be broadcast live through Radio SOA 90.4 F.M. This will also be broadcast through all the functional community radios of the state.

The Association has planned a National Workshop on ‘Empowering Community through Community Radio’ in CIFA campus jointly organized by CRAO & CIFA on 14 February where practitioners, broadcasters, media personnel, experts and officials from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the state I & PR department are scheduled to participate. The workshop will be inaugurated by Manoj Ahuja who is Odisha Principal Secretary for Cooperation, Agriculture & Farmer’s Empowerment.

The first episode on “Lets Connect Odisha” (Asantu Jodiba Sara Odisha) will be launched in the inaugural ceremony sponsored by ICAR-CIWA. The one-day workshop will broadly discuss issues, policies and mostly about agricultural issues. ATMA, OUAT, Coconut Development Board, CIWA & CIFA and KVKs are the major stakeholders who will be flagging off issues before community during the workshop. An exhibition of different achievements of the Community radios will also be there in CIFA campus.

Organising Committee Chairman Shisir Das, CRAO President N A Shah Ansari, CRAO Secretary Pradeepta K Dutta, and Association adviser and eminent journalist Basudev Mahapatra addressed a press meet in this connection.