This document is downloaded from DR‑NTU (https://dr.ntu.edu.sg) Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Positional statement P. Subramaniyam 1990 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/92483 Downloaded on 27 Sep 2021 21:49:45 SGT ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library Positional Statement By P Subramaniyam Paper No.9 AMIC Seminar, Singapore,April'90. SEMINAR ON DEVELOPMENT AMD COMMUNICATION IN THE 1990'S POSITIONAL STATEMENT IX ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library P. BUBRAMANIYAM. DIRECTOR CENTRE FOR DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH AND TRAINING, T.NAGAR. MADRA8 - 600 017. INDIA. 1. Introduction With the advent of Independence, India launched upon a programme of planning for economic development. Several Five Year Plans have been implemented since then. There have been no doubt considerable achievements made in the different sectors of development. But it has been difficult to ensure a level of social development, commensurate with the level of economic development achieved. There has been considerable imbalance in the distribution of benefits between the various strata of the economy and the society, like between the rich and the " poor, between the urban and the rural, etc. Even though surpluses in agricultural production have been achieved, rural poverty, particularly during the dry and lean periods of the year, is still a problem eluding a permanent solution. Then there is the problem of imbalance in growth between different geo-ethnic regions and sub-regions of the - 2 - country. When we closely examine this situation certain points strike us as being very important. 2. The Planning Process ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library While the.planning process both at the Central level and at the State level is done very scientifically, systematically, and elaborately, there appears to be a lot of scope for improvement as far as the planning at the micro level, namely, at the block level and village level, is concerned. Secondly there is considerable scope for the involvement of the community in the planning process and in the implementation process. This is an area which in my opinion has to be brought into proper focus and given its due share so that it would be possible to f-ocus and- given ires due share so that it would be -poGoiblc to ensure the flow of maximum benefits to the maximum number of poopjer groups. 3. Communication for Community Involvement and Participation It has been well recognised that communication is a very important tool for achieving community involvement and participation in plan formulation and implementation. This aspect has also been discussed in almost all the plan documents and in the implementation documents as well. However, when it comes to action, several gaps have been noticed. - 3 - 4. Proper understanding and Appreciation of the Perceptions of the People One of the most difficult areas of the planning process has been thATeT EpropeNTION: Thre Siunderstandinngapore Copyright Act agpp lieos fto ththe usee of thperceptionis document. Nanyasng Technological University Library of the beneficiary population. This difficulty gets more accentuated when we take into account the fact that a country like India has a lot of diversity as far as the different regions and their inhabitants are concerned. There are a number of ethnic groups speaking different languages and belonging to different religions and different caste groups. Most villages again cannot be considered as homogeneous units. Their cultural backgrounds and their social ethos differ widely. Most of these communities are traditional and therefore their value systems and their systems of taboos and beliefs also differ considerably. It is very important to understand properly these aspects of the communities so that it becomes easier to bring the planning process into proper focus. This would call for a differential approach to the planning process itself which will focus on the specific needs of an area with reference to its geo-ethnic and socio-cultural dynamics. This would call for an increased and wider use of the micro level planning approach with considerable decentralisation of the planning process itself with a definite shift in emphasis in favour of planning at the grass roots level. - 4 - 5. communication In doing all the various things described above, multi-disciplinary and in-depth studies are very important. Communication studieATTEsNT IOconstitutN: The Singaporee C opaynrig htimportan Act applies to thte uspare of thtis docoumfe nt. Nthianyasng Technological University Library multi-disciplinary approach. Communication studies are important in the context of developing suitable communication strategies, which, when properly implemented, will bring about effective mobilisation of the communities for participation in the planning and implementation processes. As these processes have not been followed systematically in most of the past programmes, they have not been able to achieve the much-needed community involvement in planning and their participation in the implementation of the plan programmes. 6. The Development of a Suitable Communication Strategy While developing the communication strategies for development work, it is necessary to keep in view the fact that efforts to bring about attitudinal and behavioural changes in the target groups, particularly in a traditional society, is an extremely difficult task, as such attempts run counter to long-held beliefs and taboos. A lot of attention has to be paid to aspects like: Communities' Perceptions Their socio-cultural ethos KAP of the target groups - 5 - - The Traditional Communication Process and the Network - Media habits of the target groups - Media reach among the target groups ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library 7. Need for developing suitable methodologies for studying Communities* Perceptions. For achieving a fair amount of success in the implementation of development programmes, Community Perception studies will be a great help. There is an urgent need to develop suitable research methodologies for carrying out such studies. In this context, the following points have to be borne in mind. The perceptions of a community of anything which comes from the outside world are determined by the communities' own socio-economic, geo-ethnic, and socio- cultural background. For example, in traditional societies with low rates of literacy, and high levels of poverty, there are to be found age-old customs, habits, beliefs, and taboos, which exert considerable influence on their perception patterns. Studying and understanding such perception patterns of a community becomes more difficult and more complicated, if that commuinity happens to be heterogenous, like in most parts of India. And, in the context of implementation of development programmes, this difficulty becomes greater because of the expectation of the Project regarding the involvement of the village community in project planning and implementation- Added to this is the - 6 expectation to reach the benefits more and more to the weaker and more vulnerable groups of the rural population in . ways which require fundamental social changes in societies which are basically traditional and heterogenous. ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library 8. Access to Information In the context of Development, Communication can really be looked at as a question of how for a group of people who have access to certain information and technology are able to successfully transfer them to those who do not have such access, but are in need of such information and technology. The problem gets more complicated when we realise that those who do not have the information are not also usually aware that information and technology are available in the world outside and that such information will be of immense use to thern in bettering their lives. 9. A Diagrammatic Representation A diagrammatic representation of the situation relating to Access to Information described above, will be as follows: Those with Perception Those who do not Access to and have access to Information KAP Gap Information - 7 - With the proper development and implementation of a dynamic communication strategy, the Perception and KAP gaps in the typical situatibn as illustrated above, can be overcome. 10. The CommunicatioATTENnTI OStrategN: The Singapyore Chaopysrig hgot Act a ppliteso to tbhee u seDynamic of this docum,en t. Nhaanyasn g Technological University Library got to be "Aggressive" For achieving quick results, the communication component under Development Programmes, has to be dynamic and "aggressive", in recognition of the extreme difficulty involved in achieving project goals. The target families under Development Programmes are usually among the poorest and the least educated and attempts to change the family and village practices connected with aspects of development, run counter to long-held traditions. In the context of a Health Care • Project, for instance, the rationale for health interventation would be that the target families would have to become convinced of the benefits of project participation in the short run in order to become committed over the long run to proper health care of