NEW DELHI: The Group of Ministers (GoM), which has been assigned the task of ironing out differences within the Union Cabinet on amendments to the community radio regime, has cleared the changes proposed by the Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry. This includes the contentious issue of allowing advertisements on such radio stations.

Headed by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, the GoM was set up in October 2005 after some members in the Cabinet expressed reservations about the proposal to allow limited advertising on community radio stations.

The I&B Ministry had suggested that the stations be allowed to generate revenue through advertisements and sponsored programmes — those backed by Central and State Governments and of public interest — to make it a feasible proposition.

While piloting the changes, the then I&B Minister, S. Jaipal Reddy, had said the amendments were being considered as community radio had few takers in the first phase.

As against the existing policy wherein no advertising is allowed on such stations, the Ministry wants five minutes an hour of transmission to be dedicated to localised advertising so that such stations can generate revenue to meet running costs.

Besides advertising, one of the major changes proposed by the I&B Ministry pertains to allowing educational institutions, other than those within the government set-up, and non-profit organisations to run community radio stations.

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