A) Details of programming by the External Services Division (ESD) of All India Radio
· As soon as the News of devastating Earthquake ravaging large part of Nepal started trickling in, as an immediate measure, SOS announcements advising people not to panic and take precautionary safety measures against the possible aftershocks were made.
· Thereafter, the service got in touch with the MEA officials and by 7 pm, the helpline numbers of MEA, the Indian Mission in Kathmandu were repeatedly announced. People were advised to take all precautionary measures, as per the guidelines provided by the NDMA. Appeal of ADG, NDMA was also recorded over telephone and broadcast.
· Since, all lines of communication had broken down; the Nepali Service being broadcast on Short-wave remained the only available communication link to reach out to the distressed people in Kathmandu valley and the hinterland Nepal.
· Hence, the normal programming of the whole evening transmission was changed and programmes relating to the Earthquake were broadcast continuously.
· A special report about the flying in of medical help, relief material and NDMA experts by India for the help of the Nepalese people in their hour of crisis was broadcast to boost the morale of the people and to inform that India is by their side at this critical situation.
· The next morning transmission also included interview of Shri Krishna Prasad Dhakal, Deputy Chief of Mission of Nepal in India, who elaborately spoke regarding the situation, the need of relief materials, medical aid etc.
· The SOS announcements were continued to be made as many aftershocks were felt. Appeal announcements requested by the 2nd Secretary in the Nepalese Embassy regarding rehabilitation and requirements of different relief materials like Dry ration, Medicine, Tents and Baby Food, Drinking Water etc were also made in the morning and mid-day transmission of Sunday.
· Interview and bytes of some of the persons evacuated from Nepal were also broadcast. In the evening transmission on Sunday, the appeal made by the Prime Minister's in his special radio programme Mann Ki Baat broadcast at 11.00 am was included.
· On Monday, telephonic interviews of Indian- Nepalese volunteers who are going to Nepal for helping in the rescue and relief work were broadcast in the transmissions. SOS announcements, helpline numbers, health precautions to be taken etc were broadcast in the morning and mid-day transmission.
· A press conference called in the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi, where details of relief and rescue works were given and India's yeoman help at the hour of crisis was lauded, has been covered and excerpts are being broadcast in the evening transmission.
· The efforts of the Nepali Service to disseminate vital and crucial information to the distressed people of Nepal and also to the rescue workers would continue over the next few days till life comes back to normalcy.
· The tone, tenor and the content of the service will be calibrated to suit the requirements as the events unfold.
· The In-charge of the Nepali Service, and the Head of External Services Division have been personally monitoring the situation and are in constant touch with the MEA, Embassy of Nepal in Delhi, Indian Mission in Kathmandu, NDMA and other agencies involved to cater to their communication needs and providing important and critical information to the suffering people.
B) Programming by AIR stations serving Indo-Nepal Border and areas affected by the
Earthquake
In the wake of the earthquake that struck and caused heavy damages in some of the States bordering Nepal recently, All India Radio stations situated in the affected areas have been playing a vital role in disaster management communication to bring succour to the affected people. AIR Stations have acted as the fastest mode of communication to reach the affected people and provide them the vital information for their safety and well-being.
As soon as the news about the killer quake broke out on 25th April, 2015, AIR Stations serving the areas which suffered due to earthquake were advised to mount suitable programmes keeping in view the situation in their respective service areas. These Stations have also been advised that depending upon the extent of damage, they may contact various State and local government authorities which deal with disaster management activities such as rescue, relief and rehabilitation for their broadcasts in their respective regions.
As per standing instructions for AIR stations regarding disaster management in such situations, the concerned AIR stations in these areas have started giving wide publicity to helpline numbers of various relief agencies. Special educative and informative programmes have been mounted disseminating information about the various relief and rescue measures taken by the administration in order to reach out to the affected people. In this direction, AIR Patna, AIR Darbhanga, AIR Gorakhpur, AIR Lucknow, AIR Gangtok, AIR Siliguri, AIR Guwahati, AIR Delhi, etc put out suitable programmes to generate awareness among the masses, particularly informing them how to deal in such situations and also not to fall prey to rumour mongers. Accordingly, the quake related broadcasts have been suitably devised and these programmes are being continued with updated information as the situation continues to unfold and concerned agencies step up their efforts to keep people abreast of the latest situation. Emphasis is also being given to educate the people on the possible post- quake health issues in specially mounted health programmes.
C) Details of some of the programmes broadcast/planned for broadcast by various
channels of AIR, Delhi
FM Rainbow
Date of broadcast: 25 April, 2015
Time of broadcast: 1700 to 1800 hours
Dial out: Professor K J Anand Kumar, NIDM, New Delhi and,
Shri S S Guleria, DIG, NDRF, New Delhi
FM GOLD
Date of broadcast: 25 April, 2015
Time of broadcast: 1745 to 1800 hours
Dial out: Professor K J Anand Kumar, NIDM, New Delhi
FM Rainbow
Date of broadcast: 27 April, 2015
Time of broadcast: 0800 to 0900 hours
Dial out: Shri M. Sashidhar Reddy, Former Vice Chairman, NDMA, New Delhi
RAJDHANI CHANNEL
Interview: "Understanding Earthquakes"
Date of broadcast: 27 April, 2015
Time of broadcast: 2130 to 2200 hours
Expert: Shri O. P. Mishra, Seismologist, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, New Delhi
FM GOLD
Date of broadcast: 28 April, 2015
Time of broadcast: 1300 to 1400 hours
Dial out: Shri Sailesh Naik, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, New Delhi
FM Rainbow
Date of broadcast: 28 April, 2015
Time of broadcast: 0800 to 0900 hours
Dial out: Major General R. K. Kaushal, Senior Consultant, NDMA, New Delhi
Indraprastha Channel and FM Rainbow
Saturday Phone-in-Program on "Bhukamp Aur Aapda Prabhandan".
Date of broadcast: 02 May, 2015
Time of broadcast: 0910 to 1000 hours
Experts: Professor Santosh Kumar, Director, SAARC Disaster Management Centre, New Delhi
Professor V K Sharma, Consultant, Disaster Mnagement, IIPA, New Delhi
Shri O. P. Singh, Director General, NDRF, New Delhi
PS: Programme presenters/comperes of FM Rainbow, FM Gold, Indraprastha and Rajdhani channel of All India Radio, Delhi are educating the masses/listeners regarding precautions they should take before and after earthquakes since the evening of 25/04/2015. Other important information including details of helpline numbers (latest 011-1078 – the national earthquake related NDMA helpline) is also being provided regularly.
Related :
All India Radio and BBC World Services design special programming for earthquake affected Nepal
