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A primary concern
of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is development cooperation, that
is, to contribute towards the social, political and economic stability
of the developing countries/regions by promoting the inherent
democratic structures and processes. This task is well nigh impossible
without promoting a fearless and functioning media and mass communication.
A functioning mass media is an integral part of a democratic structure.
It is towards this endeavour that Friedrich-Ebert- Stiftung has
striven particularly in the Third World countries since the early
1970s. Unhindered communication between people and states, as
postulated by the United Nations in its Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, is an indispensable pre-requisite to humane,
peaceful coexistence of people and peoples, to education and vocational
training, to participation in social/ cultural life. This applies
especially to the Third World countries if they are not to lag
behind even further in their development.
Hence the FES perceives the main
purpose in promoting mass communication in the Third World as
enabling and expanding communication between people/nations. This
holds both for the Third World nations and for the flow of information
between the North and South. In India, combined with poverty is
illiteracy, the incidence of which amongst the rural poor is around
60 per cent. The combination of the two results in apathy towards
all but the immediate concern of survival. The press and the written
word have little impact due to is illiteracy. The electronic media
is restricted by its basic requirements of electricity and also
the market forces which have led to its total commercialisation.
The media in India is not only urban-based but urban-biased to.
Objectives :
In view of this kind of media
and communication scenario, the main objectives of media and communication
activities in India are: · Enhancing the use of media for development
with a human face while adhering to democratic norms and practices.
· Reiterating the need for increasing awareness among media practitioners,
civil society groups and political decision-makers about public
service function of media and its organs. · Strengthening the
existing media infrastructure to ensure the right of information
to the people. · Generating favourable conditions for enhancing
professionalism among media practitioners. · Creating awareness
among media professionals, politicians and decision-makers about
the need to recognise and react as early as possible to the changes
brought about by modern communication technology.
Towards the fulfillment of
these objectives, the FES (India) activities include the following:
1.
holding national and State-level conferences,
organised in cooperation with media-related
organisations and individuals
of the highest level
2. cooperating with institutions concerned with
scientific research into media and journalist
training 3.
conducting training and follow-up programmes
in the form of seminars, workshops, on-the-job
training,consultancy,
expertise in collaboration with leading training
institutions.
These activities are accompanied,
supported and broadened by publication of specialised literature
which ease the dissemination of various ideas and opinions on
a wide range of media and communication issues.
Issues dealt by this Unit are :
IT for Social Empowerment: Bridging the Divide
In South Asia, where running water,
sanitation systems and electricity is scarce and, where roads
are poor and education a luxury, information technology at first
look seems far removed from the everyday concerns of the poorest
and marginalized sections of the country. What use can a computer
be to someone who lives by doles? What use is information technology
in a country where millions are still illiterate? These are standard
questions which demand answers. The idea that the Internet and
related technologies might have an important role in aiding developmental
efforts has captured a central place in international policy debates.
The need to close the so-called 'digital divide' between social
groups with and without access to the Internet have been made
through several UN agencies, at the G-8 summit, and at meetings
of development organisations around the world. It cannot be ignored
that no single technological revolution has changed the lives
of current generations in the way the Internet has. No cultural-technological
innovation since television has had this kind of impact on the
world's economy, its politics or its globalising popular cultures,
or even its perceptions of distance and time. The promise of digital
development is that those who had missed out on earlier waves
of technology of the mid-1990s might be able to have instant access
to virtual institutions that provide banking, education, healthcare,
neonatal information, agricultural advice, and so forth through
rural information networks all at a fraction of the cost of corresponding
'real' institutions. These kinds of inputs allow rural citizen-consumers
to make more informed economic decisions: farmers can decide whether
to sell their produce locally or transport it themselves; landless
labourers have been able to negotiate their daily wage more effectively;
tractors, threshers, old television sets, cattle and motorcycles
have all been traded across towns and villages thanks to online
advertisements. By making these resources available in villages,
information centres can help ease the asymmetries between urban
and rural environments. However, rural ICT projects are yet to
effectively position themselves as a vehicle for online commerce
and a mechanism of employment for village communities. This will
only become possible once significant sections of rural South
Asia achieve connectivity with one another and with the world
at large.
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Media and Human Development
Media plays an important role
to make citizens aware of their rights. As the all-important Fourth
Estate, it contributes to the overall strengthening of democracy
and promotion of the inclusiveness of the marginalized groups.
Role of media can further be enhanced through networking mechanisms,
particularly those working on the level of communities to make
citizens aware of their rights. Media's insensitivity in the coverage
of rights-related issues is the subject of many a seminar. As
guardian of society, media has often exposed the politicians-criminals
nexus was also discussed as a deterrent to the growth of a healthy
democracy. AlthIn an effort to strengthen democracy, it was suggested
that studies be conducted on the real needs of people at micro
and macro levels for dissemination by different media. Studies
into the rising trend of coalition governments were also seen
as necessary. In a nutshell the seminar gave an insight into the
present scenario of Indian Democracy and helped identify key problem
areas and obstacles to good governance as well as options available
to change negative trends.
Media methods of airing critical
development issues and the role of the press in promoting meaningful
dialogue and awareness of these issues, both within mainstream
and marginal echelons of society.
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Right to Information Act
The recent enactment of the Freedom
of Information Act 2002 marks a significant shift for Indian democracy,
for the greater the access of citizens to information, the greater
the responsiveness of government to community needs.
The campaign for the right to
information began in the early-1990s when, in the course of the
struggle of the rural poor in Rajasthan, the Mazdoor Kisaan Shakti
Sangathan (MKSS) demanded transparency of official records, a
social audit of government spending and a redressal machinery
for people who had not been given their due. The campaign caught
the imagination of a large cross-section of people, including
activists, civil servants and lawyers.
The National Campaign for People's
Right to Information (NCPRI) formed in the late-1990s became a
broad-based platform for action. In 1996 the Press Council of
India drew up the first major draft legislation on the right to
information. The draft affirmed the right of every citizen to
information from any public body. The draft also provided for
penalty clauses for defaulting authorities. Finally in 1997, the
Government of India appointed a working group, headed by former
bureaucrat and consumer rights activist HD Shourie, to draft what
was reworked into the Freedom of Information Bill, 2000. This
Bill included some provisions such as the requirement that urgent
requests in cases involving life and liberty should get a response
within 48 hours. However, the Act was criticised on several grounds.
Most importantly, the Act reinforced the controlling role of the
government official, who retained wide discretionary powers to
withhold information. Also, there was no mechanism to punish delay
or refusal to grant information. Instead, the law provided for
two internal appeals within the government machinery and, in addition,
blocked access to civil courts.
The Right to Information Act finally
came into effect across India from October 12, 2005, barring J&K.
The Bill, which seeks to help people access information under
the control of public authorities, was adopted by voice vote on
May 11 in the Lok Sabha or Lower House of Parliament, with 146
amendments. It has the widest possible reach covering both Central
and State Governments, panchayati raj institutions, local bodies
and recipients of government grants. On October 13 the Union Government
constituted the Central Information Commission (CIC) under the
Right to Information Act. The five-member Commission is headed
by the former Secretary, Wajahat Habibullah. Meanwhile several
prominent members of the civil society and media have expressed
their apprehensions over the government's reported move to appoint
retired or serving civil servants as Information Commissioners
or Chief Information Commissioners for adjudicating the RTI law
as that, they feel, will defeat the very purpose of the law.
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