Radio Mewat

Radio Mewat, the recently launched community radio,headquaterterd at Nuh, participated in the first National Seminar of Community Radio Stations organised by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting along with CEMCA. It was a priviliege for Radio Mewat to be asked to share their experience with the other 106 participating stations

“Educating people about the very concept of a community radio was indeed a Herculean task. From the bureaucracy/possible advertisers to the local community, no one was aware of how this was any different from the All India Radio,” said Archana Kapoor, founder and general secretary SMART.

Emphasizing on the difficulties, she further added that it was a tough job popularizing the radio station in a Muslim predominant district where elders are suspicious of any new idea and are very protective towards their women, and in places where there is an absence of basic infratstructure like electricity and water. Frequent power outages have forced the station to run on a diesel generator making operations expensive.

However, despite all the hurdles and limitations the Radio is sticking to its commitment. “Even with limited resources and all possible constraints we have been broadcasting everyday, on time and on schedule. We get 50-60 calls a day requesting us to play various programs,” said Kapoor.

Making Mewat a Tobacco free Zone

As part of the advocacy for effective tobacco control in the country, SMART along with Hriday, a voluntary organization of health professionals and social scientists, engaged in activities aiming to promote health awareness and informed health activism among school and college students in India, have commenced a unique exercise towards making Mewat, a NO Tobacco Zone.

This initiative is a part of a project which aims to strengthen and augment ongoing tobacco control advocacy in India and bolster government-NGO partnership at all levels, to enable a politically, legally and socially conducive environment to strengthen effective enforcement of existing tobacco control legislation, through development of mechanisms to monitor enforcement and report violations. Simultaneously, the project will also involve vigorous advocacy for strengthening weak provisions and call for effective enforcement of existing legislation.

As part of this campaign, SMART initiated the process of discussion with the district authorities on May 26, 2011 and apprised them about the laws and also the need for a concerted action to stem the use of tobacco amongst the people of this backward region.

Taking the process forward, SMART-Hriday are conducting a workshop on June 16, 2011 with support from the Al-Afia Hospital, Mandikheda Mewat. The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Rao,and also the Deputy CMO Dr Ila Bhargav have extended their support to this program.

SMART has also invited all heads of departments for this workshop. District Collector will grace the occasion as the chief guest. The workshop will be chaired by the Additional District Collector.

Bhattapathshalas

SMART has been running literacy centers for children of migrant labour in the Brick kilns or Bhattas (brick kilns) of Mewat, Haryana. Out of the total of 89 Bhattas in Mewat, SMART has centers in 21 of them in which over 1000 children in the age group of 6 to 14 years have been enrolled. The literacy progam at the brick kilns is sponsored by the Department of Education, Haryana, under the aegis of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan( SSA) or Education for All.