The Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday launched world first tribal community radio station in Bhabra (Alirajpur). This radio centre has been initiated jointly by “Vanya” and Tribal Welfare Department will broadcast programmes in local ‘Bhili’ dialect. This initiative has been taken by Vanya, an undertaking of the Tribal Development Department.
The nine stations to be set up soon are at Baiga dominated Chada (district Dindori) and Baihar (district Balaghat), Korku dominated Khalwa(district Khandwa) ; Gond dominated Chicholi (district Betul); Bhil dominated Nalachha (district Dhar); Meghnagar (district Jhabua) ; Umari (district Guna), Sahararia dominated Sesaipura (district Sheopur); Bharia dominated Bijauri (district Chhindwara). Of these, the stations at Sesaipura, Khalwa, Nalacha and Chicholi are ready.
These centres would broadcast programmes in the main tribal dialect of the area as well as some programmes in Hindi that is spoken in day-to-day life by the local community.
The Bhabhara radio covers a radius of 15 to 20 kilometer. While at present, programmes of two-hour duration are aired each in the morning and evening efforts are afoot to extend the period to five hour each.
It may be mentioned here that over 46 tribal communities reside in Madhya Pradesh. The population of Bhil community is 37.7 percent of total tribal population.
The second largest tribal community is Gond. There are three primitive tribes i.e. Baiga, Saharia and Bharia. Kol, Korku, Saharia, Bharia are some other major tribal communities. The tribals constitute 21 percent of state’s population, said a state government release.