The Unicef has further alienated itself to the cause of children by announcing a campaign “Radio4child” which has been causing heartbreaks in the community of social workers across the State and country.
Recently, during release of “The State world’s children” report, the State head of Unicef castigated the Government for not reaching out to community where IMR is not coming down.
Yet the same organisation while announcing the national campaign in the name of ‘radio4child’ followed by award for Radios, ignored the community radios working in different States, including Odisha. They have been cozying up with corporate radios as it gives them more urban visibility in the State, alleged community media expert and Community Radio Association of Odisha president NA Shah Ansari.
It is surprising that when the Unicef chief Bae herself admitted that immunisation rate in India is low and lower in Odisha, her team has looked the corporate way to promote their campaign, said Radio Swayamshakti in Nuapada director Biswajit Padhi.
The immunisation rate is low in rural pockets and there are at least eight community radios working in rural areas of the State, yet they choose to look up to the FMs who have presence in and around the State capital, said Pradip Dutta , secretary of the association. Not only in Odisha but in the country, Unicef has avoided community radios from this ‘radio4child’ campaign. We condemn the attitude, Dutta added.
India has about 200 functional community radio stations covering largest population than the city based commercial radios, that too in areas where commercial radios would dread to tread.
They are closer to the community because of the localised content and understanding of issues. So international agencies like Unicef should not avoid them, feels Prof Ashok Sunhal, president of Community Radio Association, India.