NEW DELHI: The Government has reiterated that Community Radio Stations (CRS) operators and Private FM Radio stations may not be allowed to broadcast news and current affairs programmes as this may pose a possible security risk as there is no mechanism to monitor the contents of the news bulletins of every such station.
The Supreme Court which is hearing a public interest litigation in this regard has been told that CRS stations are run mainly by NGO/other small organizations and private operators, several anti-national/radical elements within the country can misuse it for propagating their own agenda.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told Parliament that the Government had also told the apex court that Community radio stations also air programs involving chats with NRI/the local population settled abroad.
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These stations may be exploited by foreign radical organizations to broadcast fabricated/radical views of some of these NRIs, as due to paucity of funds, the radio stations would not be able to afford authentic news sources.
He said Phase III licence holders of FM Radio have been permitted under clause 11.1 of the Policy guidelines that they can carry the news bulletins of All India Radio in exactly the same format (unaltered) on such terms and conditions as may be mutually agreed with Prasar Bharati.
This follows representations received from some private FM radio broadcasters in this regard.
