Examples from India

Communication direct to people about floods using TV and AIRwaves Maharashtra, India

In order to help citizens cope with the coming rains and the possibility of flooding, the Maharashtra government is planning to have its own dedicated prime time package that will be broadcast on television and radio. As per the Maharashtra’s Chief Minister’s guidelines, the information and public relation department will start a weekly one hour news-based programme on Doordarshan from next month. The programme may become a daily fixture from next year. The state’s initiative of direct communication with the public is largely linked to its experience during 26/7. They plan to engage private channels in the initiative as per the department of public relations “There were many cases when private channels were broadcasting old visuals that created even more panic across the state. To avoid this, the government is employing all media for direct communication,” said Chief Secretary Johny Joseph. The 15-minute All-India Radio show Dilkhulas, an interview-based programme that is aired four days a week (Wednesday to Saturday), is being booked by authorities for the prime time slot between 7.20 and 7.35 am for the next six months.


ISRO reaching out to the villages
Tamil Nadu/ Kerala, India

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) proposes to bring more government hospitals in the country under the telemedicine programme. The facilities should reach even the poor farmer in a remote village. Dr George Chandy, Director of CMC, said the telemedicine facility via satellite has brought far-off medical services closer for the benefit of the rural poor. ISRO's telemedicine programme, launched in 2001, aims at connecting the rural and district hospitals in the country with super speciality hospitals in the cities via INSAT.

While ISRO provides the software, hardware and communication equipment as well as satellite bandwidth, the speciality hospitals provide the infrastructure, manpower and maintain the system.

The programme covers 165 hospitals - 132 centres connected to 33 speciality hospitals. ISRO has established Village Resource Centres in association with NGOs, trusts and state and Central agencies. It has also developed eight mobile units - four of them in Tamil Nadu, two in Kerala and two in Karnataka.