Within the vastness of India there exists a significant information gap between the country's urban areas and outlying regions. Accordingly, it is difficult to transmit information about the remote locations to urban policymakers and experts, and likewise it is difficult for people in outlying areas to get information that could help improve their lives.
Considering the need to narrow this information gap, this project aims to strengthen the Charkha Development Communication Network's Feature Service (obtaining space for coverage of local issues in major urban newspapers and carrying stories written by local reporters) and to implement activities to seek effective methods of utilizing the media so that people in remote regions can access the information they need.
To achieve these aims, over a three-year period capacity-building seminars on journalistic writing were held for local journalists in the five target states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgrarh, Uttaranchal, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, and regular meetings were held with journalists from major newspapers, regional journalists, and people from local NGOs with the aim of gaining more space in publications.
In fiscal 2007 lobbying activities were carried out to obtain more space for articles with local content in publications through over 15 regular meetings with officials of major newspapers in Delhi and each state. Capacity-building seminars were held in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Bihar in June, July, and September, respectively. As a result, 154 articles (407 over three years) were published in major newspapers, 59 of which were in Hindi, 51 in Urdu, and 44 in English.
Moreover, in order to explore alternate forms of media that can effectively provide information to outlying areas, a regional radio program full of information for local citizens was created in fiscal 2006 and 2007, and trial broadcasts were conducted via government-run radio.
In the states of Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand, regional information centers, operated on a trial basis by regional journalists and local researchers, were set up to create a platform enabling access to major urban media sources.
Assessments of the functions and effectiveness of alternate media forms like the radio program and regional information centers showed that these means of information dissemination can be effective in enabling those in remote areas to access and disseminate information.
On February 7, 2008, a regional conference was held in Delhi in which the experiences and knowledge gained through this project were summarized with the aim of sharing the information with media personnel in urban areas and in Nepal and other neighboring countries.