Changing RD landscape

2. Changing RD landscape • Paradigm shift in approach to rural development • Progressive increase in budget in past 5-6 years • Programmes are now more demand driven in nature • UniversalCoveragebeing aimed • Participatory model being increasingly adopted • Transparency & Accountability emphasised • Calls for creation of greater awareness about entitlements & processes for end users/ grassroot implementers • Programme literacy resulting in higher articulation of demand

3. IEC objectives

5. IEC Challenges • Objectives & targets for all RD programmes not homogeneous : So is their IEC requirements • All target groups not on level playing ground – Hence , have differing IEC needs • Receptiveness of target groups too differ Calls for a programme / target / area specific IEC Strategy Central IEC intervention is possible only at a macro and pan India level

7. Village Meetings , screening of RD Films at Village every week, social action groups, interaction with community for handholding

8. Weakness of present IEC Strategy

12. Access to TV : one-third of the households own TVs, half of them are connected to satellite, very few have cable connections, those who do not own TV watch it with neighbours or relatives. • Access to other media : 27% of men and women have access to radio. • 52% read newspapers, 70% listen to folk songs, 75% watch street plays, 69% mike announcements • 30% were exposed to MGNREGA messages, 64% actually saw the messages titled Hindustan Ki Guarantee • One-fifth obtained job cards after watching the campaign • Exposure to the channels confined only to C&S households

13. Preferred timing for TV campaign is after 7 PM (7 PM to 9 PM) • Family soaps are preferred – messages to be interspaced between breaks. • Doordarshan should be preferred channel, other (C&S channels) to be avoided • Money saved may be used for community TV. • Local dialects and idioms through other forms can be explored. • Meetings in the village are effective dissemination tools. • Content of the video should be simple and intelligible for comprehension by villagers. • Wall paintings and posters are also effective mediums • Complete information about the scheme should reach the beneficiaries to enable them to gain from it. • Need to reinvent and reorient IEC methods in accordance with ground realities

14. Weekly visit by APARD officials to the village between 7-9 pm in the evening for holding meetings and screening of training films on RD programmes led to significant awakening of the rural community and induced them to join as BNVs. • The BNVs became active catalyst of social reform by promoting prohibition, afforestation, micro level planning, mutual help, access to health care, education and creation and management of rural community assets

15. A collaborative approach needed • An elaborate IEC Strategy / action Plan has been drawn up at the central level. • Panchayats made focal points • SIRDs to supplement/ compliment the Central IEC efforts and to address to micro-level IEC needs up to Gram Panchyat level • Replicate /adapt in regional languages central IEC templates & develop local content s • Develop IEC kits for village level workers, Bharat Nirman IEC volunteers, grassroot PRI representatives

19. To maintain liaison with Central, State Governments and Districts • To supervise the functioning of the block level CKMs. • To assess requirement of IEC for rural communities • To develop and distribute IEC materials in local idiom and according to local requirements. • To facilitate settlement of grievances through the CKM. • To promote the organization of the cadre of BNVs for dissemination of knowledge and promoting initiative in the rural communities. • To assist the SIRDs in organization of training programmes, workshops and seminars for capacity building.

20. To train the GPs, Sarpanches and Ward Members and BNVs, SHGs in proper use of IEC tools for dissemination of information • To organise village meetings every week in a GP • To screen rural development films in such meetings • To discuss issues of planning, implementing, monitoring and audit with rural community • To facilitate redressal of grievances

21. IEC Allocation during 2010-11 was Rs 64 crores . • The rural population is 83 crores (2011) • The IEC allocation works out to Rs 0.75 per year per person and 0.07% of Total Budget of MoRD • With this meager allocation media strategy is unlikely to be effective. • There is a need to pool funds from other programme IEC heads which are available to the Districts / Blocks

22. The expenditure on interaction based dissemination of information and capacity building may be borne out of the administrative component of on-going rural development programmes. • This will also facilitate proper utilization of the administrative component which is under utilized.

24. Better management of natural resources through proper implementation of watershed, forestry, land development, drought proofing, flood protection and anti-water-logging measures under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, Integrated Watershed Management, and other programmes. • Environmental protection by biomass conservation and afforestation through people’s participation • Greater transparency and accountability in implementation of government programmes by dissemination of information and speedier delivery of public services • Enhancing benefits for landless labourers, herdsmen, forest-dwellers, artisans, farmers, weavers and fishermen through improved access to infrastructure, institutional services, physical capital and financial resources • Leadership development in rural community • Support to local administration and PRIs • Better quality of programme implementation • Proper social audit of government schemes • Effective redressal of grievances • Facilitation in resolution of conflict

25. TV, Radio, Newspapers to be used to continue to provide an overarching IEC cover for RD Programmes. • Interaction based communication techniques to be used at village level to ensure percolation of messages in the minds of the rural population.