Community Radio Station in Harayana

Considered as one of the backward regions in Haryana, Mewat is all set to get its first community radio station that will focus on women empowerment, education and development in the district.


A Delhi-based NGO, SMART, working in the district since last eight years will launch the station in the second week of October which will have a reach of around 20 kms and will cover 50 to 60 per cent of the total villages in Mewat.

"Women have a low status in Mewat society. They are married when they are just kids and do not have a space in the development here. We will make them aware of their rights through our radio," says Archna Kapoor, General Secretary of SMART.

"We will aim to make women ready and bring them in panchayats so that they can assert their rights and get equal share as men in all spheres," she says.

The testing of the radio station is already underway since 1st September and a team of professionals is training the locals in reporting and producing the radio programmes.

"Local volunteers are coming out to learn the new experience. Villagers get thrilled on hearing their voice on radio sets. We are mobilizing the community," says Kapoor.

Mewat was carved out as the 20th district by Haryana government in 2005. People here are mainly dependent on the agriculture and the region is under-developed despite being close to New Delhi and Gurgaon.

"The main reason for Mewat's backwardness is that the information of welfare and developmental schemes does not reach the people. We will tell people about those schemes and act as a bridge between people and the administration," says Kapoor.

With the tag line 'Teri Baat Meri Baat, Suno Radio Mewat', the community radio aims to start a dialogue in the otherwise conservative society in the district. We want the people to get up and make their voice heard to the administration, says Kapoor.

Apart from women empowerment, education and development will also be the focus of the programmes made by the radio.

"We have to start an overall change. Literacy is as low as 29 per cent in females and 44 per cent in men on Mewat. There are problems of water, sanitation also," says Kapoor.

The NGO plans to apply for a booster once the radio station goes on the air and aims to cover all the 512 villages in the district.