NEW DELHI: Community Radio Stations have been allowed to offer rates lower than the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) rates for local advertisements, as the condition that DAVP rates are lowest rates has been relaxed for CRSs.

Parliament was told today that the duration of broadcast of advertisements by CRSs has been increased from five minutes to seven minutes per hour of broadcast to provide them better financial sustainability.

Noting that the total number of operational CRS in the country was only 206, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said the Government had taken various steps towards the expansion of the Community Radio Stations across the country.

The grant of permission process had been simplified and the Ministry now provides financial support to new as well as existing Community Radio stations for purchase of equipment and for content creation. The financial grant for equipment has been increased from 50 per cent to 75 per cent of the total cost (to 90 per cent in North Eastern region) with a ceiling of Rs 7,50,000. The process for release of grants has also been simplified.

Workshops were organized by the Ministry to familiarise people about the Community Radio policy and create awareness amongst aspiring applicants about issues relating to installation, operation & maintenance of Community Radios.

Six National and four Regional Sammelans had been organised for Community Radio operators, Government Ministries/ Departments, UN organisations and other stakeholders to facilitate exchange of ideas and experiences.

The Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) has designed and started a training programme for Community Radio functionaries and those desirous of setting up a Community Radio Station.