Development Communication and Journalism — NCERT Solutions

Community radio is different from All India Radio (AIR) in these ways:

• Community radio is run and managed by local people, while AIR is a national broadcasting system.
• Community radio broadcasts in a limited local area; AIR has a much wider reach.
• The content of community radio is for local use and is often in the local dialect.
• Community radio encourages participation, lets people express their views, and focuses on local development programmes.
• It can be set up with small investment and helps local communities voice their problems and find solutions.

Thus, community radio is a people’s medium with local participation, whereas AIR is a broader public broadcasting service.

The statement “ICTs are the future vehicles of development” is correct.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) include computer hardware and software, digital broadcast and telecommunications technologies. They are transforming economic, social and political life by helping in:

• information dissemination,
• education,
• banking and financial transactions,
• marketing and distribution,
• employment and public services.

In the chapter, examples like tele-centres, the SARI project, and SEWA’s use of ICTs show how ICTs help rural and poor communities gain access to information, training, services and communication. They save time and cost, improve problem-solving, and empower people, especially women at the grassroots.

Therefore, ICTs are rightly called the future vehicles of development because they make development communication faster, wider and more effective.