Taking COVID-19 news to remote corners of Odisha. 17 community radio networks are spreading awareness in rural areas with limited Internet access.
At a time when people are keen on understanding the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, as many as 17 community radio networks are proving to be a refreshing tool for the customised dissemination of information to rural audiences in Odisha.
"Our experience shows that for more than 60% of the rural population, DTH (direct to home) and Internet-based media are still out of reach. Moreover, neither television nor any other sources of information would provide them with news related to the small geographical area they live within," said N. A. Shah Ansari, founder of Radio Namaskar and president of Odisha's Community Radio Association.
Urging labourers:-The past one week has been very hectic for community radio operators. Apart from passing on the government's instructions on COVID-19, they kept prodding their target audiences, especially migrant labourers who had returned from outside the State, to inform their respective gram panchayats of their arrival.
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