Grassroot Com Orissa Model

8/10/2019 Grassroot Com Orissa Model

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BACKGROUND

Communication is considered as an effective and powerful tool for social development. Good

communication improves knowledge and information on particular sector/issues thereby increasing

participation in decision making process. Against this backdrop, under CDLG project, a two days

State Level Workshop on Development Communication was conducted at SIRD conference hall on15th & 16th April, 2011.

The Object ives of the Workshop were as fo l lows :

l To build the capacity of District level

NGOs, APDs (training), PRIs and

faculties of SIRD on development

communication and its strategy.

l To enhance the skills and knowledge of

the participants on the concept, approach

and dimensions of communication.

l Use communication as a strategy for

empowerment and development of local

governance.

l Sensitize on the issues and challenges

faced on effective communication.

l Development of Matrix on schemes of

PR and RD for communication.

The Themes for the Work shop w as planned and they are as fo l low s:

l Concept and approach of Development Communication

l Communication approach in Local Governance

l Development Communication for the Tribes

l Access of media in Rural Odisha

l Community radio- A new paradigm

l Issues and emerging challenges in

development communication

As per the ob jec t i ves of the workshop thePar t i c i pan ts were inv i t ed f rom d i f f e ren t

f ie lds. They are as fo l low s:

l Nodal officers from District level NGO

partners

l Faculties of SIRD

l APDs(training), DRDA

l Media Personnel

l PRI members ( sarpanches & Zilla

Parishad member)

Mr. S. N. Tripathi, Prinicpal Secretary, PRD, Speaking about

objectives


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Methodolo gies adopted for the Worksh op are as fo l lows;

l Participatory

l Group Discussion & Presentation

l Lecture

l Experience Sharing

Inaugural Session :

Mr. S.N.Tripathy, I.A.S, Principal Secretary, P.R.

Department inaugurated the workshop and stated

the importance of communication to empower

elected representatives for strengthening local

governance and improving transparency in the

system. Mr S.K.Lohani, Commissioner Special

Project cum Director,SIRD emphasized the need

for development of good communication strategyto create awareness among the PRIs on Gram

Sabha and its functions. Dr.Udaya Moray, Director,

IEC, and Mr. Amlan Majumdar, Deputy Director ,

IEC, MoRD, GOI attended the two days workshop

and shared their experience of developing good

IEC material for the grassroot level stakeholders.

Dr. Ambika Nanda, SPO, UNDP, Odisha urged for

coming up with a design to develop communication strategy based on the changing rural development

needs of the people in the state, after the two days workshop.

DAY ONE: Technical Session 1

De v e l o pm e n t J o u r n a l i s m : C o n c e p t , A p p r o a c h a n d

Sign if ican ce by Dr. Mrin al Chatterjee, Profess or, IIMC

Mr. Mrinal Chatterjee spoke in length about Development

Journalism and defined Development "as a comprehensive,

economic, social, cultural and political process which aims at the

constant improvement of the wellbeing of the entire population

and of all individuals on the basis of their active, free and

meaningful participation in development and in the fair distribution

of benefits resulting there from". Later during his presentation, hedifferentiated Development Journalism from Development

Communication. In his discussion he spoke about the indicators

of Devlopment Journalism (DJ) and mapping of DJ. At the end he

briefly stated how Civil Societies, PR Bodies and Govt. can liason

with media to propogate good work across the state.

Technic al Session 2: Communicat ion appro ach in Lo cal Governance by Dr.Uday Moray,

Directo r (IEC), MoRd & M r.Am lan Mazumdar, Dy. Director (Media), MoRD, GOI

Mr.Amlan Mazumdar made a presentation on "Proposed IEC structure for Rural Development

Programmes". He discussed during his presentation that how there is a paradigm shift in the


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outlook of the Govt. All the Govt. programmes

have become demand driven, aims at Universal

Coverage, promotes Participatory model,

emphasis on Transparency & Accountability,

creates greater awareness about entitlements

& processes for end users/ grassrootimplementers. He stated that the objectives of

IEC are to Create awareness on Entitlements

for Target Groups resulting in Higher articulation

of demand through efficient Implementation. He

also focused on the challenges and issues of

developing IEC material at the Govt. Level. As

the objectives & targets for all RD programmes

are not homogeneous hence the IEC

requirement varies. Further, all target groups are

not on level playing ground so have different IEC

needs and lastly receptiveness of target groups too differ hence programme wise / target wise /area wise specific IEC Strategy has to be developed. He presented the "Findings of the Study on the

IEC Campaign on MGNREGA 2009-10 by Society for Social Services". The study came up with

recommendations to improve IEC material for the MGNREGA scheme. They were as follows:

l Preferred timing for TV campaign is after 7 PM (7 PM to 9 PM)

l Family soaps are preferred - messages to be interspaced between breaks.

l Doordarshan should be preferred channel, other (C&S channels) to be avoided

l Money saved may be used for community TV.

l Local dialects and idioms through other forms can be explored.

l Meetings in the village are effective dissemination tools.

l Content of the video should be simple and intelligible for comprehension by villagers.

l Wall paintings and posters are also effective mediums

l Complete information about the scheme should reach the beneficiaries to enable them to

gain from it

l Need to reinvent and reorient IEC methods in accordance with ground realities.

He presented o n the bud get al located for the development of IEC mater ia l at the centra l

level and f inal ly , he stated an elaborate IEC Strategy / act ion Plan drawn u p at the centra l

level . The Act ion Plan was as fo l low s:

l Panchayats made focal points

l SIRDs to supplement/ compliment the Central IEC efforts and to address to micro-level IEC

needs up to Gram Panchyat level

l Replicate /adapt in regional languages central IEC templates & develop local content s

l Develop IEC kits for village level workers, Bharat Nirman IEC volunteers, grassroot PRI

representatives


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Techn i c a l Sess i on 3 : Comm un i t y Rad i o - A new pa rad i gm by M r . N .A .Shah Ansa r i ,

Chai rperson, radio Namaskar & Mr.Abh aya Padhi , Addl .DG (Retd) Prasar B harat i

Mr. Abhaya Padhi,Addl.DG (Retd) Prasar

Bharati, spoke briefly about the technicalities

involved at AIR and how communication

through Radio would be a good medium to

percolate to the grassroot level. Further he

added that Community radio at three stations

located at Puri, Konark and Kheonjhar

districts can be used as good avenues for

passing on the messages by the Govt.

After his brief presentation, Mr N.A.Shah

Ansari, Cha irperso n, radio Namaska r

presented on Radio Namaskar and how his

team of community members has achieved

the target of using the Community Radio to

send messages to the local folk. Radio namaskar is located at Konark, Puri District for connecting

village and villagers to knowledge, experiences and resources. It serves in the areas of Gop,

Nimapara,KakatPur & Astaranga Blocks of Puri district of Orissa. Radio namaskar runs its programs

on thematic areas. They are as follows:

lLocal Self Governance

l Human Rights

l Right to Food/Information/Education.

l Disaster Management

l Gender Equity

l Societal Peace

l Survival of indigenous trade & culture

Radio namaskar is a truly community run Community radio as most of its team members are

volunteers. The staff is trained in the process of being the part of the radio and around 80% programme

comes from the community. They use music/songs from only community singers and all of their

jingles & filler music are based with folk music. Within a short period of less than 2yrs Radio namaskar

has also captured impact at the rural level.


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Technical Session 4: Establ ishing Information Highway for Streaming IEC to Gram Panchayats

& Vil lages

Rural Communication using modern

technology has potential to make

significant inroads in to the traditionalagrarian economy. Innovative

communication technology platform

by Sankalp TV focuses on local

farmer's communication needs and

economic benefits and is poised to

emerge as a landmark in rural

communication tool.

Present Status of Rural

Communication

l Majority of IEC activities are

being undertaken through print

media, which is generally not

understood by rural illiterates.

l Printed IEC materials remains

stacked in GP offices, not

shared and explained to the

community.

l Lot of Audio Visual IEC materials are also developed by different departments, but not exhibited

in all the GPs/Villages due to lack of communication channels and hence coverage remainsminimal.

l No provision for storing of AV IEC contents for exhibiting it conveniently with consideration of

time constraints of villagers.

l Coverage and communication of good practices for replication in other areas also remains

unfulfilled due to lack of robust communication facilities.

l Communication of critical

information relating to health

emergencies / disaster

preparedness do not reach on time

upto village level.

The Proposed Model

The Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Sewa

Kendras which will function as Knowledge

Resource Centre (KRC) would be

provided with adequate telecommu-

nications infrastructure that would enable

the dissemination of appropriate

information regarding farming, education,

health, weather, governmental news, job,

loans and aid opportunities. The objectives

Ashok Das,

Chief Executive, Sankalp TV


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were to reduce the digital gap and gender divide in rural Odisha using technology - especially

telecommunications technology. Each Rajiv Gandhi Seva Ghar located at GP level would be the

Knowledge Center (KC) and would serve the villages of the Gram Panchayat and would act as the

knowledge repository for the villages it served. Pertinent information will be stored in databases in

these sites, with appropriate technology for easy access and dissemination of this knowledge to

persons seeking them.

The Financial Model

The average developmental spending in a Gram Panchayat per year is approximately Rs. 50 Lakh.

The average expenditure towards IEC / program communication is 2% of the project outlay i.e. 2% of

Rs. 50 Lakh = Rs. 1 Lakh / GP/ Year

Suggested Cost Model

l Monthly subscription for DTH : Rs. 200

l Service Provider i.e. Sankalp charges : Rs. 50/day/panchayat*

(i.e. Rs. 1500/panchayat/month)

l Total per month : Rs. 1700/-

l Total per year 1700 x 12 = Rs. 20400 / panchayat / year

The role of communication technology as proposed in the model is many fold as can be seen below.

l Setting of Farm Schools/e-Hub for livelihood skills. to promote activities in Agriculture, Horticulture,

Fisheries, Animal-Resources, Handicrafts and SHGs.

l Effectively address "communication gap (information loss)" in the dissemination of information

from Lab-2-Land.

l Development of effective Teaching/Training Modules with the help of subject matter specialists/

experts.

l

Real life case studies to inspire the beneficiaries.

l Viewers can also watch different infotainment programmes and movies from other channels,

which will enhance peoples' interest and increase viewer ship. This will help increase in footfalls

in the BNRGSKs.

l To create digital content for the entire life cycle management of major crops, livestock, fishery

types, thus building Agri- knowledge management digital library in local language for any time

any where use of farmers.

l To promote traditional knowledge system available with farming community.


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A detailed presentation of the infotainment model was presented in the workshop to the participants

comprising officials from Govt. of India, Civil Society Organizations, Experts of Development

Communication and Officials from DRDAs. After a meticulous discussion on the pros and cons

of the proposed initiative the house arrived at the following conclusions

l As poor people are often unaware of their rights, entitlements and the availability of variousgovernment schemes and extension services, this model will improve their access to the

information they need.

l It will provide cheap and efficient tools for access to information and exchange of ideas and

knowledge as an enabling tool for wider socioeconomic development. The model should be

piloted in coastal and tribal areas before being scaled-up.

l This will strengthen rural livelihoods, providing market information and lowering transaction

costs of poor farmers and traders

l It should, that this cannot act as a substitute for reforms but will be required to support

information needs of poverty reduction programs.

l Care should be taken so that this approach not just technology-driven but respond to the

needs of the poor.

Technical Session 5: Access o f Media in Rural Odisha by Dr Pradeep Mahapatra, Berhampur

Universi ty

Dr. Pradeep Mahapatra, highlighted the Access to media in Odisha in his presentation. According

to him Development Communication should be promoted through mainstream and alternative media

platforms and for doing this he gave the Case study on GRAM VIKAS SAMACHAR. He also depicted

the picture of India and compared with the state of Odisha with regards to access to media and at

the end he gave Tips for effective communication for development. The tips were as follows;

l Documenting

l Contributing to alternative media

l Interacting with local journalists

l Circulating story proposals among mainstream media

l Documenting hard facts

l Collecting background information

l Extensive interviewing

l Recording others impressionsl Seeking human interest angle

With this session the day came to an end.


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DAY TWO: GROUP WORK

Before the technical session began the partciapnts were divided into five groups and they were

asked to think about the Gaps in the Commun icat ion strategy in the implementat ion of the

Govt schemes and to work out an ac t ionab le f ramework for SIRD to car ry forward the

commun icat ion strategy for implement ing d i f ferent govt . schemes. The groups worked onthe gaps and presented.

Techn ica l sess ion 1: Deve lopment Communica t ion for the Tr iba l by Dr. Nabor Soreng,

Princ ipal, NISWASS

Dr. Nabor Soreng, Principal, NISWASS, narrated his rich experience of working with the tribals in

different districts of Odisha. He stated many case studies of communicating with the Primitive

Tribal groups in Odisha and the challenges

that he came across while working with

them. He described briefly the objectives

of Communication as Perceived by the

Tribes. To develop and equip themselvesto fight against destructive forces, they try

to keep intact their social as well moral

norms, maintain inter-personal and group

harmony and finally inter-tribe. Further he

gave a list of ethnic characteristics of

tr ibes as i t becomes necessary to

understand in order to develop a

communication strategy for the tribes.

Finally he discussed various

communication strategies utilized at

various levels (at the Inter-personal level;

at the Basic Group level; at the Community

level; at the Society level).

Technic al Session 2: Socia l Market ing Thread in Development Communic at ion by Mr.Saroj

Ku .Dash, Dy.Directo r, SIRD

Mr.Saroj Ku.Dash started his session with a participatory mode and gave a background of

Development Communication. He wanted communication strategy should be able to capture the

minds of the rural people the way corporates have tried to get their products sell in the rural areas.

Communication should become important in informing, persuading, listening, data gathering,

educating, training and managing change. Social marketing has greatly influenced the way

communication and information is incorporated in development programme, for example, it has

increased our sensitivity to the needs for research prior to developing and sending messages and

it has shifted emphasis from the needs of the social change agent to the needs and perspectives of

the beneficiary groups. He focused on the challenges that should be taken into consideration keeping

in mind the dynamics of Development Communication.

They are;

l Sustained behaviour change

l Improved consumer research

l Media selection

l Community focus


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l Narrowing communication gaps

l Structured intervention

l Prevention messages

l Institutional capacity

l Long term planning

Technic al Session 3: Issues & Chal lenges

o f D ev e l o pm e n t C ommu n i c a t i o n b y

Ms.Amita Bose, Developm ent Consul tant

Ms. Amita Bose, adopted the brainstorming

methodology and tried to zero down on the

Issues and Challenges of Development

Communication. As many resource persons

discussed about the issues and challenges ofDevelopment Communication the Groups

presented the Gaps identified in the implementing the Govt. Schemes. The gaps were as follows;

l Language barrier

l No direct communication

l Universal pattern of communication

l Improper/no function of local panchayat system.

l Low awareness level.

l Low literacy

l Ignorance of local government officials in particular schemes.

l Lack of involvement of local community, lack of liasioning with media.

Later, the groups worked on the matrix which was shared by SIRD and each of the group had to

work on different schemes like, MGNREGA, IAY, Social Security

Deve lopmen t Comm un ica t i on St ra tegy fo r p rog rams im p lemen ted by Panchaya t i Raj

Depar tment

The development communication strategy for programs implemented by PR department will be a

departure from the traditionally practiced communication effort, where the focus will not be oninformation to be disseminated by experts to end-users. Rather, it will be a horizontal communication

processes which will enable the people to participate in the development programs. The main

objective is to ensure that the end-users gather enough information and knowledge to carry out their

own development initiatives evaluate their actions and recognize the resulting benefits. Participatory

communication will reinforce this process.

Suggested Specific Strategies

These overall objectives will be achieved through the use of the following specific strategies:

i. Capacity building of DPNGOS, village volunteer, Govt. functionaries and partner institutions /

organizations.


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ii. Setting up Community participation mechanisms

iii. A multi-media communication program to increase knowledge and participation in the

developmental programs of PR department.

Capacity strengthening to implement the Communication Strategy

The main objective of the capacity building strategy, in line with the principles of the PR deptt. would

be to equip the community members with necessary skills and knowledge base to enable them to

participate in the development programs. The other objective is to develop skills and attitudes in the

project personnel.

The multi-media communication program campaign will be carried out in two phases:

Phase 1

Phase I will be a public information campaign providing general information on the development

programs. This phase will aim at building a critical mass of people within the general population

who are knowledgeable about the programs to provide a conducive environment for their

implementation. The campaign will be delivered through mutually reinforcing mass media to buildawareness and increase knowledge on the ongoing programs and their benefits throughout the

state. The mass media campaign will be complemented by public participation mechanisms that

engage opinion leaders to reinforce the key messages at the local level through various community

forums.

Phase 2

The thematic communication programs of the second phase will be selected based on progress of

program identified over the first year. A participatory communication approach will be followed that

is integrated with all communication efforts. Rather than focus on the use of mass media as a

vehicle, this phase should focus on making use of community based social, religious, civic and

political organizations, individuals and networks in tribal society of Orissa as channels and influencersto communicate with people 'face-to-face'. Examples would be speaking through women's groups.

A radio entertainment-educational serial drama linked to community level activit ies is also

recommended as a central activity for this phase.

Communication Assessment

It is suggested to undertake a participatory communication need assessment study. However,

empirical experiences indicate that regardless of the initiatives under way, people rely on direct

interpersonal communication for their information needs in the sense that people talk to each other

to convey information. People see radio and meetings as the potentially best way of communicating

within their communities. Illustrated posters have a potential; but the lack of permanent structures

and the harsh climatic conditions pose a challenge as to when they are to be produced and posted.Illustrated handouts or leaflets have been identified and used by the project as a means of

communicating; but again, only limited information can be transferred in the form of pictures. However,

when text is used, the understanding is generally quite low.

Communication Approach

The basic communication approach for developmental programs of PR Deptt. Will be mix of mass

communication and participatory communication methods wherein the field facilitator in this the

DPNGO will be adequately trained in participatory tools so that for each community a specific

communication strategy emerges. Instead of prescribing a general strategy for all the stakeholders

through participatory communication it will emerge. The approach of this document will to suggest

generic strategy and approaches for entry kevel activities into the community.


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Different kinds of communication interventions will be utilized to cater to primary and secondary

audiences. In terms of a communication strategy, five basic types of strategic communication

components will be adopted.

Communication Situation Analysis of programs implemented by PR deptt.

The situational analysis / issues and challenges in development communication pertaining to

programs implemented by PR deptt the basis for this suggested communication strategy. The

analysis was carried out through groups discussions only. The key findings of this analysis are

summarized below.

Average levels of awareness and misconceptions on various developmental programs

among most stakeholders

People in general do not have complete information about the programs. This is more acute in tribal

areas. There is no formal system of communicating people in general. Mostly it is through inter

personal communication, discussion in Baazar area / barber shop / common sitting area or may besome places where there is presence of NGO/ CSO it is through some form of village meeting.

Since programs in detail are not discussed in a proper forum, misconception also prevail among

the beneficiaries about program benefits.

Dissatisfaction among beneficiaries

May be due to ignorance or non availability of proper information mechanism people do not get their

complete entitlements or some times under go the drudgery of moving form pillar to post for securing

their entitlements.

Negative Media Coverage

Sometimes negative media coverage of the programs also builds up the perception of the people

thereby undermining the program benefits or people making demand for the services.

Low current communication capacity

Participatory Communication in general is not the domain area of Govt functionaries. Participatory

communication if any is largely practiced by functionaries from NGO / development sector. So their

exist a large capacity gap as far as building development communication into the development

programs.

Need to strengthen public participation mechanisms

It is clear that two-way information dissemination is important and participation structures such

before and during program implementation through as stakeholder forums, networks and committees.

Short versus long?term communication requirements

The communications program should be broken into two phases. Initially a shortterm phase of

communications should be used to build awareness and understanding on the program and WSS

issues. A second longer term phase should focus on participatory & demand driven communications

that promote positive attitudes and practices.


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Communication Strategy Matrix

The Communication Strategy matrix summarizes the key aspects of each specific strategy. It

integrates all aspects of the strategy indicating the logical link between the audience, key message

themes, methodology, channels and tools, expected outcome and implementing partners. Key

message themes are based on the objective for communication to each audience and the findingsfrom the situation analysis. The channels recommended are based on the empirical data covering

media usage in Orissa.

Group 1: Scheme : MGNREGS

Communicat ion Strategic Issue Target Audience Message Channel of

Object ive Communicat ion

Make people People not aware Registered Job 100 days of work Village Meeting

aware about of job card receipt Seekers is assured Radio Spot

salient featuresof Crche facility is Miking

MGNREGS FGD

Make job card Filling of C1 form PRIs & NGOs Seven hours of Street Play

holder aware Filling up of muster work Exposure Visit

about worksite rolls Equal wage for Using knowledge

facilities men & women and information

centres

Unemployment Reservation for Facility of

Allowance women unemployment

allowance

Need for Social Worksite facilities

Audit

Benefits of Getting

completion of 100 unemploymentdays allowance

Group 2: Scheme : PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM



Awareness about People not aware All PDS Entitlement Miking

PDS program about their beneficiaries messages Wall Painting

Awareness on entitlements BPL Cards: IPC at dealer

quantity / quality under Rs. 2/kg for location

and variety of PDS scheme 30kgs/month Village Meeting.products Antodaya Card:

To sensitize the Rs. 2/kg, 35 kgs /

card holders month

about their Annapurna free

entitlements 10 kgs/month

Sugar: 1.5 kg per

BPL & Antodaya

card/month

Kerosen @ 4 lts/card

per month

Wheat @ 7 kgs/monthper APL card


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WAY FORWARD

Suggest ion 1: Appropr ia te documenta t ion of the program needs to be deve loped and

made access ib le so that repl icat ion can b e bet ter achieved

Why

Appropriate documentation of the lessons

learned needs to be captured in a format

suitable for cross-learning. The

documentation needs to capture the distinctive

aspects of the various PR developmentalprogram

How

Documents developed should be made easily

accessible in the communications hub

(www.sirdorissa.org)on the project website

and at DRDA. The case studies are more than

success stories as they document themistakes. The case studies are in non-

technical language but aimed at educating

readers.

Group 3: Scheme : Rural Housing (Mo kudia & IAY)



To make people People are not BPL, Fire Victim Every BPL family is Palli Sabha / Gramaware about the aware about how to Homeless, Homes assured a house Sabha

process & get benefit by Mo affected by natural under Mo Kudia/ Village Meeting

entitlement of Kudia / IAY calamities IAY Information board

houseing schemes (Process) Households

completed 100

days of MGNREGS

Group 4: Scheme : Social Security Schemes



Create awareness Beneficiaries does Old Age people Pension of Rs. Village Meeting

among the not about HIV / AIDS infected 200/- per month Palli Sabha

stakeholders for entitlements of Physically ASHA / AWW

social security different schemes Challenged Panchayat Meeting

schemes / Central Miking

Govt. / State Govt.

Time

Place & procedure

of availability.
http://www.sirdorissa.org%29/http://www.sirdorissa.org%29/


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Suggest ion 4: Information shou ld be readi ly avai lable at vi l lage level through in formation

centres.

Why

PR deptt. Has established Resource Centres

in Blocks. There is potential for making these

Centres more widely available and improving

their functionality. Information centres have an

important role to play in providing a localphysical focus. Multi-purpose resource centres

can encourage local convergence.

How

Establish Village Information Centres

clusters of micro-watersheds.

l project related print and media (posters,

leaflets, newsletters, VCDs)l village notice board of events, meetings

l information on and application forms for

other government schemes

l rental of agricultural equipment

l TV viewing

Suggest ion 2: Needs to prov ide m ore oppor tun i ty for o pen d iscuss ion and debate of

developm ent issues that fo l low from d i f ferent prog rams of PR dept t.

Why

PR deptt. needs to create more opportunitiesfor critical reflection on the direction the project

is taking. Pressing concerns from targets and

reporting procedures mean that concerns about

the project cannot be aired. Platforms for

reflection need to be developed.

How

An Annual Participatory Review Meeting. Thisevent provides a space to test out new ideas

and review progress from a selection of all

Program staff at all levels up to district and

NGOs partners are also invited to promote

further convergence. This is a two day event held

in a venue away from Bhubaneswar. Key note

speakers are asked to make short presentations

on selected themes.

Suggest ion 3 :Improved transparency is needed at communi ty l evel to enhance part ic ipat ion

Why

The extent to which GPs / DPNGOs information

available to communities differs. Strategy is to

publicly display funds that have been allocated

to each village / household by using wall

paintings. All these initiatives have value; the key

point is that the community knows how and

where funds have been spent.

How

All GPs / DPNGOs adhere to min imu m

standards of transparency publicly displayed on

village notice boards. Financial information is

presented in a form most likely to be easily

understandable at community level.


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Sugges t ion 5 : Use of tradi t ional performanc e art is ts to communic ate sensi t isat ion and

inform at ion messages

Why

Traditional performance has already been usedin villages. Traditional performers are already a

significant local source of knowledge on various

PR developmental schemes they are literate,

intelligent interpreters of information to the

community. Shows are popular and hold the

attention

How

Key moments in project implementation that

would benefit from traditional performance are

identified by DPNGO. A recommended schedule

for incorporation into the field implementation

manual is devised. Simple briefing sheets for

Communication Point persons at District level

are devised. Relevant improved communication

materials are made available to performance

groups according to the project phase and the

time of year.

Suggest ion 6: Enco urage wide adopt ion of good pract ic e developed in PR department

prog rams at secondary stakeholder level and upwards

Why

Lessons learnt in one district or block are not

necessarily shared with other districts. Some

districts and communities have made more

progress than others in certain areas. Sharing

information about why some districts activities

are more successful in some places than in

others will contribute to improving performanceacross the board.

How

Panchayat Samachar, the PR deptt. Odiya

language newsletter, focuses on promoting good

practice across the districts and elsewhere. It

becomes a major advocacy tool amongst

secondary stakeholders in the project. To do this,

content will include:

l success stories about how individuals,

communities or administrations made good

progress

l The newsletter should be bi-monthly and

reach each of the Gram Panchayat

Suggest ion 7: Communicat ions mater ia ls to be c onsis tent ly avai lable to al l DPNGOs /BRCs for use wi th communi t ies

Why

PRI CB & R is implemented at field level with

support from a range of communication

materials.

How

Ensuring consistent supply of communication

materials / tools available to al l f ield

implementers.


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Suggest ion s 8: Using Radio / Commu ni ty Radio to empower poor stakeholders to make

more demands

Why

The potential to use radio to pursue PRdepartment schemes objectives has not yet

been explored fully. It is learnt that in communities

radio ownership is more widespread than TV

ownership. But that watching TV is more popular

than radio if the choice is there. This suggests

that radio programmes need to have a special

interest and relevance to the target audience if

they are to have impact.

How

Interactive weekly one hour phone-inprogramme on AIR for 13 weeks. The

programme will be a mix of discussion in Oriya

and music. Music requests and announcements

from communities will be encouraged. The style

of the programme wil l be informal and

conversational but the guests will need to be

prepared to answer difficult questions from

listeners.

Similarly community radio should be piloted in

the available areas.

Suggest ion 9:Ensur ing deve lopment c ommunica t ion suppor t m ater ia ls more ef fec t i ve

Why

A range of communication materials are already

being used by field-level staff when working in

the villages, these can be made more varied and

more suitable for working with a partially literate

target group. Any print materials that are intended

for general use should be in Oriya, use the bareminimum of text and make extensive use of

photographs and/or drawings.

How

The response to this by making pre-testing print

and AV materials consistently available to

DPNGOs for onward distribution for use directly

by communities. This intervention stresses the

need to use the print materials in a strategic

manner Any existing print materials that are textheavy should be distributed only to literate

villagers..


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18

COMMUNICATION TOOLS IDENTIFIED

No. Tools Usage Rationale

Mass Media

1 Program anthem An anthem in simple, colloquial language is to be producedto be popularized by singing at the beginning of all meetings

by village communities / mass media. This anthem will

focus on key aspects of the program and the role the

communities will play in enhancing their quality of life through

this program.

2 Radio Spots / Discussion Entertaining yet informative and motivational radio spots

(60 seconds) should be aimed at both rural men and

women. Such radio broadcast should reinforce the

messages of the leaflets, flipcharts and posters. A

sponsored weekly half-hour radio program produced and

broadcast exclusively on MGNREGS / IAY /. It would beimportant to include the voice and views of local

communities and GPs in the content of such a program

such that the design and content are highly participatory in

nature, and it gives the look and feel of a people's radio

program: in their language or very simple Oriya / local

dialect, contains what they want to say and hear, and at a

time most convenient to them.

3 Community Radio Community radio facility is available in Konark, Keonjhar &

Koraput. These options should be generously utilized as

they reflect the local ethos.

4 Documentary Films In villages where avenues for entertainment are few and

audio-visuals would transcend problems related to literacy.

A variety of films and documentaries could be procured for

projection among village communities. These could be

commercial film such as Manthan and Lagaan, as well as

films on issues of MGNREGS / Role of Gram Panchayat /

success stories of other villages / GPs etc. Several films

that highlight the importance of self-determination by the

communities, on SHGs, and community working are also

available. Efforts should be made to screen a maximum

number of such films in each project village. The VCR andTV could be hired or borrowed locally for such screenings.

5 Poster Short messages summarizing the salient points of

MGNREGS / IAY/ 13th Finance Commission be included in

the posters aimed at rural men. Such posters should be

placed at the markets and seed dealers' shops which most

rural men visit frequently. The creative of such poster should

adhere to all the fundamentals of making communication

materials for low literate audience.

6 Folk Media Folk art and performances are a projection of community's

aspirations and culture. Folk performances should be used

liberally at all stages of the program to inform and mobilize


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the village communities. The folk media will catalyze higher

involvement of women and vulnerable groups. Folk groups

could be trained by DPNGOS to carry out communication

activities.

Group Media7 Participatory theatre Theatre debate, in which a discussion follows the play and

some parts of the theatre are played repeatedly following

comments, may be used to tackle soil fertility problems

and was employed by women as a form of empowerment.

The idea, at is to use this tool to help women voice their

concerns and to illustrate causes and potential solutions

associated with the problems.

8 Video photography Short video documentaries will be produced to be used

during community meetings. Video will be used as an

experimental effort to involve the community in dialogue

and conflict resolution. Marginal groups could express their

points of view and the images will help to shed light on

some aspects of conflict and dissent. The videos will be

shown in the presence of all parties, and the showings will

be followed by discussions that were also filmed and

documented.

This will help marginal groups, who were usually shy in

formal meetings, to express themselves. Videos were also

found to be useful in generating discussions and awareness

among and between different people and factions.

9 Creating a local users network A federation of all users groups will be formed which will

be kind of a medium to facilitate interaction among the

various local beneficiaries and non-governmental

organizations (NGOs) and Government. The presence of

such a medium would provide a platform for different

stakeholders to assess and develop a common

understanding of development needs and possible

solutions.

10 Exposure Visit Exposure visits by community to other villages are useful

to demonstrate some solutions, which have been used in

other settings, and also to raise the motivation to try themout and experiment with them.