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That'll teach them, jingles in India

Friday, October 26 09:19:59

As part of its plan to wean villagers/tribals away from the Maoist ideology, the Indian government has taken to airing radio 'jingles' to reach out to people in the Naxal heartland. The government has roped in All India Radio (AIR) to air specially produced audio clips in the mornings and evenings. The 'jingles', with themes of countering Maoism, have been produced in different local dialects including Nagpuri, Gondi, Chhattisgarhi, Odia Gondi, Magdhi, Bhojpuri, Halbi and Hindi.

The 'jingles', highlighting how Maoists' activities are detrimental to growth, are being aired through AIR's regional transmission networks in the four Naxal affected states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha. "The idea is to tell the villagers in their dialects how they have been deprived of the benefits of being in the mainstream. The radio jingles are also focused on explaining to the tribals the importance of education and development," an official told The Times of India.

AIR has been airing them for the past one month in the four states. It will cost the government approximately Rs 1.65 crore for two months. The plan will be reviewed by November 20. The government may later engage private individuals to counter Maoist propaganda on a much bigger scale. Use of jingles is, however, just a small part of the government's overall counter-propaganda strategy. The idea is to reach out to the villagers also through posters, advertisements and short films to inform people of what the Maoists are up to.