ENQUIRY COMMITTEE

ON

SMALL SCALE NEWSPAPERS

(1965)

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Vehicle of information dissemination.

Catered to niche community of readers.

Main centers: Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Delhi

Emerged in Bengal & further spread to other parts of the country.

ECONOMIC CONTEXT

In 1950-1980, Low economic growth rate, which stagnated at around 3.5%.

Budget deficit problems.

There was devaluation of rupee.

SOCIAL CONTEXT

Indo-Pak War 1965

Lack of centrally directed policies

Only education taken as a crucial paradigm.

No introspection on ongoing social processes.

Policy not in accordance to societal panorama.

POLITICAL CONTEXT

Criticized for being instrument of the State to

know the management of the press rather than genuine

motive for expansion of readership

IDENTIFYING THE POLICY

The Enquiry Committee on Small newspapers was substantive in nature.

This policy is also Re-distributive in nature.

The Enquiry Committee was making an additional effort to reach to those deprived class who were not able to exploit the benefit of the newspapers.

IDENTIFYING THE POLICY

Enquiry committee of small newspaper was national in nature.

The Enquiry Committee Report on small scale newspaper was more inclined to collective goods ideology.

POLICY COMMUNITIES

The constitution of policy communities was majorly dominated by political actors. There were two stakeholders and two interest groups.

Portrayal of typical government controlled administrative ideology to have grip over socio-political processes.

POLICY COMMUNITIES

The targeted beneficiaries from this policy were primarily the grass root levels of India.

Representatives from Ad Agency Association of India,

Indian Language Newspaper Association and Indian News & Feature Alliance falsified sole domination of GOI over policy formulation. Illustrates client-beneficiary relationship

POLICY COMMUNITIES

The background of the participants was more political oriented. There was more politized processes that had undergone to structure and mould a policy which was in developmental lines with an over-arching socialist-welfare principal.

The alteration of the policy was flourished by the presence of the stakeholders who asserted their respective interests while encouraging growth of small newspaper.

CORE VALUES

The ideological thrust of this policy was to promote rural empowerment. To create equally active and vibrant rural Indian citizenry which would vigorously raise its voice in nation building process.

The policy was in accordance with socialist-welfare principles & was in the view that there should be de-concentration of power from few big industrial hands to much more diversified middle income group.

CORE VALUES

The core values were always constructed in accordance to liaison between Government, PSU’s and few private players who were faithful to Indian Government.

To encourage the birth of new opinion forming newspapers.

IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM

To reduce Monopoly

Lack of participation

Pressure Groups

Need for aware & well informed press

Need Gap: Yes

ENVISIONED TARGETS

The main interest of the committee was to enquire into the condition of small newspapers in the country in 1965 and make recommendations on the steps to be taken by government for the development of such newspapers.

Aims & objective of the Policy were: Growth of press For the healthy development of Democracy Also, they speak the language of the locals

OUTCOMES

Outcomes:

If there was growing prosperity of rural areas then there would be better scope for small newspapers in different ways devoted to local & rural interests.

As a result, this would increase the number of newspaper readers in next 20years.

THE SOURCE

For identifying the problem, data were:

1. Policies: The Press & Registration of Books Act 1867.

2. Newsprint Policy.

3. Press Commission-I

4. Vernacular Press Act 1878

5. Ground oriented data gathering from 16 states

6. Press Registrar of India.

THE SOURCE

For planning and formulation:

1. Press Trust of India.

2. Press Information Bureau.

3. Audit Bureau of Circulation.

4. Indian News & Feature Alliance

5. Hindustan Samachar.

THE SOURCE

For conclusion and implementation:

1. AIR

The source of data was primarily organizational and previous policy evaluated (base line evaluation) policy.

COSTS & BENEFITS

The changes and effects incurred from the policy were:

The policy costs were consequential in nature. Small

scale newspapers could directly subscribe news from news agencies such as PTI, UNI at subsidized rates.

Committee also found that the structure and layout of small scale newspapers were at a pitiable state, hence, better quality of paper and newsprint was assured.

COSTS & BENEFITS

The effects didn’t surface as expected from the policy objectives. There was no synonymity between the formulation structure and implementation procedure.

There were no monetary gains as stated from the policy.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendations are based on two main assumptions: The policy was in the view that tendencies towards

concentration of power in a few big newspapers, government wanted to formulate a long term plan for a balanced development of the press.

Its second core value was to take measures to that were proposed would not only help towards stabilizing the economy of the small papers in existence at 1965 but also encourage the birth of new opinion forming newspapers.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The recommendations were varied in nature, they were suggestive for the services being provided in terms of transport, communication and postal facilities; what ought to be done to make further betterment of rural press.

Recommendation were socio-political as well as economic in nature. There were suggestions to Audit Bureau of Circulation to keep a strict check over the circulation figures.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The social processes were not taken into consideration while drafting recommendation in accordance to rural India.

The main recommendations were: To State governments to provide much well equipped

printing machinery, transport to local press in order to function well.

RECOMMENDATIONS

It was recommended to subsidize costs in railways, posts and telegraphs for rural press deliveries as rural newspaper staff couldn’t afford heavy expenditures.

It was recommended to initiate press tours for rural journalists sponsored by State governments to motivate rural press to actively, inform, educate and motivate rural India.

GOVERNANCE

It was stated that there was a need for better & well informed newspapers, especially in regional languages, & catering to the needs of various neglected sections, such as those in rural areas & among the poorer sections of the people.

It was also necessary to ensure that a far larger number of readers were reached by small newspapers. So there approach was to reach large number of people in reduced prices so as to make it possible for the largest possible number to buy them.

GOVERNANCE

Aid to government & modern state - They was an urge to overcome monopoly structure through

decentralization of power and make press more participatory in nature.

To know the functionality of rural press.

The policy had contribution towards social & cultural environment. Encouragement of participation was felt from the local people/grass root level to the national politics. Broadening of public sphere.

IMPLEMENTATION & RESULTS

Political gain from this policy was:

1. State became well aware of regional press – its readership, circulation and supply of newsprint quota.

2. It emphasized collective growth with the face of composite culture.

3. The larger political motive was to gain a favorable image from rural India that Congress was committed to progressive development of the Nation.

IMPLEMENTATION & RESULTS

4. Gains to Policy community: There were members from advertising, news agencies and regional press institutions who asserted their own interest while constructing certain parameters while policy was formulated.

5. It was expected that it will build an ideal image of ‘unity in diversity’ & communal harmony among the people & promote development process by strengthening roots of democracy. The social dynamics of society was more in a collective state.

SHORTCOMINGS

Gaps & failure: Lack of proper implementation

A homogeneous policy was constructed to cater a heterogeneous population.

The Enquiry committee was only sticking to literary.

Representative from journalism

SHORTCOMINGS

Policy objectives were abstract in nature

The implementation process was not well thought and well chalked out by the policy communities while formulation

Façade name of “empowering rural India” by Congress govt

ALTERNATIVE SUGGESSTIONS

1. Instead of formulating and investigating open-ended abstract objectives, it could have worked well, if the policy dealt with only one aspect of newspaper at greater in-depth.

2. The policy communities should have taken representatives from grass root levels from Gram Sabha or Gram Panchayat to suggest policy members what kind of regional press would best cater to local needs.

ALTERNATIVE SUGGESSTIONS

3. Implementation should have been in accordance to what was recommended.

4. The policy formulators should also have been the implementers, then the policy would have come into effect more actively.

5. The data gathering approach should have been more ground oriented rather than picking up circulation & newsprint quota statistics from news agencies

ALTERNATIVE SUGGESSTIONS

6. There should have been critical introspection on social processes at that point of time (1965), also an encouragement to rural press to act as an catalyst in social and political process.

7. There should have been two way communication process, taking active participation from local people.

ALTERNATIVE SUGGESSTIONS

8. It should have been bottom to top process rather then top to bottom process.

9. An approach to feedback would necessitate much active functional policy.

10. The time taken to formulate the policy was too long, a particular time framework should have been well charted out.

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