Development Communication and Journalism

2.1 Core concepts

• In India, communication and extension is used to create awareness, sensitise, educate and empower the masses, especially the vast rural population, as part of today's "information society" (NCERT Introduction, p. 242).
• Advocacy in this discipline means being "an advocate for a cause" (not legal practice) — e.g., preventing early marriage of girls, enhancing educational opportunities, preventing deforestation — and involves lobbying governments and multilateral bodies (NCERT Introduction, p. 242).
• In 2015, world leaders set seventeen broad time-bound Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are global but adapted by each country to local needs (NCERT Introduction, p. 242).
• Extension programmes today address poverty alleviation, food security, health and sanitation, non-formal education, environmental conservation and gender equity (NCERT, p. 243).
• Organisations devise Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) strategies for health, nutrition, education, HIV/AIDS, natural resource management and social development (NCERT, p. 243).
• The discipline goes by various names — Education Extension, Extension Education, Extension and Development Communication, Home-Science and Communication Management, Development Communication and Extension, Extension and Communication (NCERT, p. 243).
• The Press is called the fourth pillar of democracy; journalism is inseparable from any democratic system (NCERT §Significance, p. 245).
• Development = positive changes in the socio-economic and cultural lives of the majority on a permanent basis without exploitation or violence (NCERT §Basic Concepts, p. 245).
• Development Journalism is a relatively newer concept that came into existence after the colonial era ended; it focuses on success stories of people who adopted new technologies and helped society (NCERT §Basic Concepts, p. 245).
• Development Communication = utilising the power of communication as a catalyst for social development; term first coined by Nora Quebral in 1972; it is the "art and science of human communication" for facilitating development of a disadvantaged society (NCERT, pp. 245–246).
• Essential features of Development Communication: oriented to socio-economic development and happiness of people; aims at giving information and educating the community; combines suitable mass media and interpersonal communication channels; based on audience characteristics and their environment (NCERT, p. 246).
• It is a two-way process between those who have information and those who are ignorant; views motivation as the key element; builds dialogue between people and development agencies (NCERT, p. 246).
• Red Ribbon Express (RRE) — nationwide HIV/AIDS awareness train; covered over 9,000 km a year, 180 districts/halt stations, 43,200 villages; comprised seven coaches with educational material, interactive touch screens, 3-D models, LCD projector, folk-performance platform, counselling cabins and two doctors' cabins; started from Kanyakumari; implemented by NACO, NYKS, with UNICEF and UNAIDS in cooperation with Indian Railways (NCERT, pp. 247–248).
• Campaign = a combination of communication methods (meetings, tours, newspaper articles, leaflets, exhibitions) on a theme for a predefined period; e.g., Swachh Bharat Mission, launched by the Prime Minister of India on 2nd October 2014 to eliminate open defecation in rural areas during 2014–2019 (NCERT §1, p. 248).
• Radio and Television — most popular, cheapest and convenient mass media for development; radio is mobile and the most accessible; broadcast journalism reaches those with poor literacy levels (NCERT §2, p. 249).
• Public Service Announcement (PSA) = a brief 10–60 second message between programmes, generally in the form of jingles; e.g., 'obey traffic rules', 'say no to tobacco' (NCERT §2, p. 249).
• Community Radio (CR) = introduced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; run and managed by local people in local dialect; supports local development; participatory content development and rapport with the community are prerequisites (NCERT §2, pp. 249–250).
• Examples of community radio: Vanasthali Vidyapeeth (Rajasthan), SEWA (Gujarat), Delhi University (DU) FM in North Delhi (NCERT §2, p. 250).
• EDUSAT — launched in September 2004, the first Indian satellite built exclusively to serve the educational sector; meets demand for interactive satellite-based distance education (NCERT §2, p. 250).
• Print media — newspapers and periodicals in rural areas covering local themes are few, but press is a medium of continuous education; example given is Project Village Chhatera (NCERT §3, p. 250).
• Project Village Chhatera — started in 1969 in a small village in Northwest Delhi; Hindustan Times started a regular fortnightly column on village life; coverage brought machines, bridges, roads and banks (NCERT §3, pp. 250–251).
• Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) — umbrella term for computer hardware/software, digital broadcast and telecommunications; mobile phones have enabled banking, marketing and public services; tele-centres improve lives of the poor (NCERT §4, p. 251).
• Sustainable Access in Rural India (SARI) project in Tamil Nadu — about 80 tele-centre kiosks offering basic computer education, e-mail, web browsing and e-government services including provision of certificates (NCERT §4, p. 251).
• SEWA (Self Employed Women's Association) — union of poor women in the informal sector; uses ICTs through Community Learning Centres (CLCs) in rural areas for IT training and capacity building in electrical, mechanical and IT engineering (NCERT §4, p. 252).
• Skills for DCJ careers — cognitive (comprehend an issue), creative (project concepts attractively), technical (camera/video production, editing), questioning ability, ability to work with diverse groups (people-centric, principles of social work), language and computer skills (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint) (NCERT §Knowledge and Skills, pp. 252–253).
• Career avenues: media houses, government and NGOs; specifically — development journalist (print, TV, radio, community media, traditional media, radio jockey, anchor), research scholar, trainer, freelancer and consultant (NCERT §Scope and Career, pp. 253–254). Development Communication and Journalism is the development-praxis chapter of HEFS Class XII Unit VI. It moves the communication discipline (introduced in kehe106) from the general 'process of conveying meaning' to the targeted use of communication for social change — health, nutrition, sanitation, education, livelihoods, gender equity, environment, governance — in the world's largest democracy and the world's most diverse rural population. Three closely-related but distinct ideas anchor this chapter: Development, Development Journalism, and Development Communication. Development is the positive, permanent, non-exploitative socio-economic-cultural improvement of the majority. Development Journalism is press/media reporting that documents successful adoption of new technologies and social practices — a post-colonial concept that emerged when newly-independent Asian and African countries needed media to tell their own developmental stories rather than mirror Western consumerism. Development Communication, coined by Filipino scholar Nora Quebral in 1972, is the broader two-way 'art and science of human communication' deployed to facilitate the development of disadvantaged communities — it integrates mass media with interpersonal channels and centres motivation as the key element. The SDG framework (17 goals adopted in September 2015 at the UN Sustainable Development Summit, replacing the earlier 8 Millennium Development Goals of 2000-2015) is the global backdrop. India's localised adaptation through NITI Aayog's SDG India Index and the State Action Plans positions Development Communication squarely within the SDG-implementation effort. Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) is the operational paradigm — strategies that move beyond information dissemination ('IEC' — Information, Education, Communication) to actually changing behaviour. SBCC programmes for HIV/AIDS prevention (NACO's Red Ribbon Express), maternal and child health (POSHAN Abhiyaan's behaviour-change communication, ASHA-led counselling under NHM), sanitation (Swachh Bharat's behaviour-change campaign), nutrition (Anaemia Mukt Bharat), gender (Beti Bachao Beti Padhao), road safety, and tobacco control are all SBCC applications. Four methods of development communication: (1) Campaigns — themed multi-media multi-channel time-bound effort (Swachh Bharat Mission 2014-19, Pulse Polio Immunisation, Mission Indradhanush for vaccines, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao 2015, Stand Up India, Skill India, Digital India). (2) Radio and Television — Doordarshan's Krishi Darshan (since 1967, one of India's oldest agricultural programmes), All India Radio's regional and community broadcasts; PSAs (10-60 second jingles between programmes — 'Polio Drops Sahi, Polio Drops Zaroori', 'Atithi Devo Bhavah for tourism'). Community Radio (since 2006 policy liberalisation, ~400+ stations operational in India by 2024) — examples include Vanasthali Vidyapeeth (Rajasthan, women's university — among India's earliest community radio stations), Apna Radio (IIMC), Radio Mewat, Radio Bundelkhand, Radio Mattoli (Wayanad Kerala). EDUSAT, launched September 2004, is the world's first satellite dedicated exclusively to education. (3) Print media — newspapers, magazines, wall newspapers, newsletters, leaflets. India has the world's second-largest newspaper market by circulation and one of the most diverse language-press ecosystems (Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam, etc.). Project Village Chhatera — Hindustan Times's pioneering 1969 fortnightly column on village life in Chhatera (Northwest Delhi) — demonstrated that sustained newspaper attention can leverage state and private investment into a village. Today's parallels include Khabar Lahariya (rural women's newspaper from UP/Bihar), Gaon Connection (rural news portal), and Tehelka's earlier rural reporting. (4) Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) — mobile phones (India has ~1.2 billion mobile subscribers, world's second-largest), internet (~85 crore users), Aadhaar-enabled service delivery, UPI digital payments, e-Sanjeevani telemedicine, DIKSHA education portal, BHIM, mAadhaar, Umang. Tele-centres / Common Service Centres (CSCs) — under Digital India, ~5+ lakh CSCs deliver e-government services to villages. SARI (Sustainable Access in Rural India) — Tamil Nadu's ~80 tele-centre kiosk project offering computer education, e-mail, web browsing and e-government certificate provision. SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association) — Ahmedabad-based union of poor women in the informal sector; uses Community Learning Centres for IT training and capacity building in electrical, mechanical, IT engineering; also runs SEWA Bank, SEWA Bharat federation, and the SEWA Community Radio. Career skills are cognitive (issue comprehension), creative (project ideas attractively), technical (camera, video, audio production, editing — Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, Audacity, social-media management), questioning (interview craft), social (work with diverse marginalised groups, principles of social work, gender sensitivity), and digital (MS Office, video tools, social-media analytics). Academic routes: B.A. Journalism / B.J.M.C. / B.Sc. Mass Communication; M.A. Communication & Journalism (IIMC New Delhi/Dhenkanal/Aizawl/Amravati/Jammu/Kottayam; Jamia Millia Islamia AJK Mass Communication Research Centre; Symbiosis SIMC Pune; Asian College of Journalism Chennai; AMU/Pondicherry/DU/JNU); specialised Development Communication programmes at IGNOU, NIFTEM, IIMC. Career destinations: Development Journalist (print, TV, radio, community media, social media), Research Scholar, Trainer, Freelancer / Consultant, with employer types including media houses (Doordarshan, AIR, private channels), government (PIB, Doordarshan, Ministry of I&B, Ministry of Rural Development), bilateral/multilateral agencies (UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank), NGOs (Pratham, BBC Media Action, Sesame Workshop India, Population Foundation of India).

2.2 Definitions to memorise

2.3 Diagrams / processes to remember

• Fig. 21.1 (Red Ribbon Express) — photograph of an RRE counselling/IEC activity at a station halt (p. 247).
• Fig. 21.2 (Programme organised by Red Ribbon Express) — folk performance on the RRE stage (p. 247).
• PSA analysis grid (Practical 1) — parameters: Topic/Message, Date and Time, Duration, Techniques used (e.g., dialogue with humour/jingle), Channel, Target Group, Medium of Instruction, Objectives; scored Excellent (3) / Good (2) / Average (1) / Poor (0) on suitability, engagement, awareness, motivation, voice-over, clarity etc., out of 30 (p. 255).
• Four methods schematic (mental map) — Method 1 Campaign → Method 2 Radio & TV (incl. PSA, Community Radio, EDUSAT) → Method 3 Print media (Project Chhatera) → Method 4 ICTs (SARI, SEWA) — sequence on pp. 248–252.

2.5 Key data / development-comm table (Indian context)

2.4 Common confusions / NTA trap points

• Development Communication vs Development Journalism — the former is a broader two-way social process; the latter is a sub-field focusing on press/media reporting of success stories. Both terms differ from "mass communication".
• Who coined Development Communication? It was Nora Quebral in 1972 — not an Indian author and not in the 1980s; NTA often plants distractors with wrong year/author.
• PSA duration — strictly 10–60 seconds (not 1–2 minutes). Distractors usually inflate the upper bound.
• EDUSAT launch year — September 2004, exclusively for the educational sector (not a general communication satellite like INSAT).
• Swachh Bharat Mission launch date — 2nd October 2014 (Gandhi Jayanti); period 2014–2019.
• RRE implementers — NACO + NYKS + UNICEF + UNAIDS + Indian Railways (not WHO, not Ministry of Railways alone).
• Project Village Chhatera — village in Northwest Delhi, year 1969, covered by Hindustan Times (not Times of India).
• SARI project is in Tamil Nadu; SEWA community radio is in Gujarat; Vanasthali Vidyapeeth CR is in Rajasthan — easy to mix up.
• Development Communication = 2-way; NOT a top-down lecture model.
• Nora Quebral is Filipino, not Indian — frequent CUET trap.
• PSA = 10-60 seconds; an inflated upper bound (60-120 sec) is a common distractor.
• EDUSAT was the first satellite exclusively for education globally — not just in India.
• NACO is the National AIDS Control Organisation, under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare — not under Ministry of Railways.