One of the five suggestions made by Congress President Sonia Gandhi to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as a means to conserve money for fighting the impact of COVID-19 is a complete ban on media advertisements by government and PSUs for two years. The suggestion has drawn flak for possible financial consequences on the media industry, including the Association of Radio Operators for India (AROI).
The AROI has strongly opposed the statement. “Last year has been a very difficult one for Radio, especially for radio stations in small towns, due to a huge drop in Government advertising,” the statement by Uday Chawla, Secretary-General of AROI reads.
Further, it states: “Radio has been wholeheartedly supporting the national war on COVID-19, through 380 private FM stations across India. We request the Government to restore its advertising on Radio to normal levels. We also request Mrs Sonia Gandhi to please review and withdraw her suggestion and thereby demonstrate her support for one of the crucial pillars of democracy – Media.”
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