Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
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Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

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		&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;Giving a voice to India&#039;s villagers by Geeta Pandey&#039;,
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&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;It&#039;s been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&amp;quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what&#039;s the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&amp;quot; he adds. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Citizen reporters&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The list of grievances go on. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&amp;quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &amp;quot;reporters&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;citizen journalists&amp;quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&amp;quot; he says. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India&#039;s largely poor and overlooked tribals. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mobile connectivity&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&amp;quot; Mr Choudhary says. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Reporters&amp;quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Annoyed&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&amp;quot; informs the day&#039;s top report. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;The government says it&#039;s working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&amp;quot; says Budhan Meshram. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Why should we leave? &lt;br /&gt;
This land, this forest, this river is ours &lt;br /&gt;
Capitalists - leave &lt;br /&gt;
The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting&lt;br /&gt;
We looked after this land&lt;br /&gt;
We cared for this forest &lt;br /&gt;
We worshipped these rivers &lt;br /&gt;
Why should we leave?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;She sings this to much applause. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&amp;quot; he said. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. &lt;/font&gt;
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&amp;nbsp;
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A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. 


The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. 


The conversation is animated. The...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;It&#039;s been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&amp;quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what&#039;s the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&amp;quot; he adds. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Citizen reporters&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The list of grievances go on. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&amp;quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &amp;quot;reporters&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;citizen journalists&amp;quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&amp;quot; he says. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India&#039;s largely poor and overlooked tribals. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Mobile connectivity&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&amp;quot; Mr Choudhary says. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Reporters&amp;quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Annoyed&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&amp;quot; informs the day&#039;s top report. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;The government says it&#039;s working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&amp;quot; says Budhan Meshram. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Why should we leave? &lt;br /&gt;This land, this forest, this river is ours &lt;br /&gt;Capitalists - leave &lt;br /&gt;The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting&lt;br /&gt;We looked after this land&lt;br /&gt;We cared for this forest &lt;br /&gt;We worshipped these rivers &lt;br /&gt;Why should we leave?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;She sings this to much applause. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&amp;quot; he said. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot;&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&#039;,
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	&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 1672,
	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;Giving a voice to India&#039;s villagers by Geeta Pandey&#039;,
	&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;It&#039;s been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&amp;quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what&#039;s the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&amp;quot; he adds. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Citizen reporters&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The list of grievances go on. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&amp;quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &amp;quot;reporters&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;citizen journalists&amp;quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&amp;quot; he says. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India&#039;s largely poor and overlooked tribals. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mobile connectivity&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&amp;quot; Mr Choudhary says. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Reporters&amp;quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Annoyed&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&amp;quot; informs the day&#039;s top report. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;The government says it&#039;s working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&amp;quot; says Budhan Meshram. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Why should we leave? &lt;br /&gt;
This land, this forest, this river is ours &lt;br /&gt;
Capitalists - leave &lt;br /&gt;
The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting&lt;br /&gt;
We looked after this land&lt;br /&gt;
We cared for this forest &lt;br /&gt;
We worshipped these rivers &lt;br /&gt;
Why should we leave?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;She sings this to much applause. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&amp;quot; he said. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot;&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
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$articleid = (int) 1672
$metaTitle = &#039;LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Giving a voice to India&#039;s villagers by Geeta Pandey&#039;
$metaKeywords = &#039;Displacement&#039;
$metaDesc = &#039;




A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. 


The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. 


The conversation is animated. The...&#039;
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The anxiety lines his forehead. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what&#039;s the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&amp;quot; he adds. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Citizen reporters&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The list of grievances go on. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&amp;quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &amp;quot;reporters&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;citizen journalists&amp;quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&amp;quot; he says. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India&#039;s largely poor and overlooked tribals. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Mobile connectivity&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&amp;quot; Mr Choudhary says. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Reporters&amp;quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Annoyed&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&amp;quot; informs the day&#039;s top report. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;The government says it&#039;s working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&amp;quot; says Budhan Meshram. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Why should we leave? &lt;br /&gt;This land, this forest, this river is ours &lt;br /&gt;Capitalists - leave &lt;br /&gt;The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting&lt;br /&gt;We looked after this land&lt;br /&gt;We cared for this forest &lt;br /&gt;We worshipped these rivers &lt;br /&gt;Why should we leave?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;She sings this to much applause. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? 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What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot;&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&#039;
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A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. 


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                <strong>Giving a voice to India's villagers by Geeta Pandey</strong></h1>
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                <p align="justify"><font ></font></p><p align="justify"><br /><font >A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;It's been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what's the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&quot; he adds. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Citizen reporters</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >The list of grievances go on. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &quot;reporters&quot; or &quot;citizen journalists&quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). </font></p><p align="justify"><font >CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&quot; he says. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India's largely poor and overlooked tribals. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Mobile connectivity</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&quot; Mr Choudhary says. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Reporters&quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Annoyed</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&quot; informs the day's top report. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;The government says it's working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&quot; says Budhan Meshram. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Why should we leave? <br />This land, this forest, this river is ours <br />Capitalists - leave <br />The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting<br />We looked after this land<br />We cared for this forest <br />We worshipped these rivers <br />Why should we leave?</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >She sings this to much applause. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&quot; he said. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&quot; </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&quot; </font></p><p align="justify"><font >With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. </font></p><font ><p align="justify">&nbsp;</p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></font></font>               </font>
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;It&#039;s been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&amp;quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Citizen reporters&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The list of grievances go on. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&amp;quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &amp;quot;reporters&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;citizen journalists&amp;quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&amp;quot; he says. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India&#039;s largely poor and overlooked tribals. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mobile connectivity&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&amp;quot; Mr Choudhary says. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Reporters&amp;quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Annoyed&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&amp;quot; informs the day&#039;s top report. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;The government says it&#039;s working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&amp;quot; says Budhan Meshram. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Why should we leave? &lt;br /&gt;
This land, this forest, this river is ours &lt;br /&gt;
Capitalists - leave &lt;br /&gt;
The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting&lt;br /&gt;
We looked after this land&lt;br /&gt;
We cared for this forest &lt;br /&gt;
We worshipped these rivers &lt;br /&gt;
Why should we leave?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;She sings this to much applause. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&amp;quot; he said. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/p&gt;
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	&#039;metaTitle&#039; =&gt; &#039;LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Giving a voice to India&#039;s villagers by Geeta Pandey&#039;,
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A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. 


The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. 


The conversation is animated. The...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;It&#039;s been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&amp;quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what&#039;s the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&amp;quot; he adds. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Citizen reporters&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The list of grievances go on. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&amp;quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &amp;quot;reporters&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;citizen journalists&amp;quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&amp;quot; he says. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India&#039;s largely poor and overlooked tribals. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Mobile connectivity&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&amp;quot; Mr Choudhary says. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Reporters&amp;quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Annoyed&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&amp;quot; informs the day&#039;s top report. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;The government says it&#039;s working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&amp;quot; says Budhan Meshram. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Why should we leave? &lt;br /&gt;This land, this forest, this river is ours &lt;br /&gt;Capitalists - leave &lt;br /&gt;The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting&lt;br /&gt;We looked after this land&lt;br /&gt;We cared for this forest &lt;br /&gt;We worshipped these rivers &lt;br /&gt;Why should we leave?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;She sings this to much applause. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&amp;quot; he said. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. 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	&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 1672,
	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;Giving a voice to India&#039;s villagers by Geeta Pandey&#039;,
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&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;It&#039;s been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&amp;quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what&#039;s the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&amp;quot; he adds. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Citizen reporters&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The list of grievances go on. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&amp;quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &amp;quot;reporters&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;citizen journalists&amp;quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&amp;quot; he says. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India&#039;s largely poor and overlooked tribals. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mobile connectivity&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&amp;quot; Mr Choudhary says. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Reporters&amp;quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Annoyed&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&amp;quot; informs the day&#039;s top report. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;The government says it&#039;s working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&amp;quot; says Budhan Meshram. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Why should we leave? &lt;br /&gt;
This land, this forest, this river is ours &lt;br /&gt;
Capitalists - leave &lt;br /&gt;
The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting&lt;br /&gt;
We looked after this land&lt;br /&gt;
We cared for this forest &lt;br /&gt;
We worshipped these rivers &lt;br /&gt;
Why should we leave?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;She sings this to much applause. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&amp;quot; he said. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
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$metaTitle = &#039;LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Giving a voice to India&#039;s villagers by Geeta Pandey&#039;
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A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. 


The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. 


The conversation is animated. The...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;It&#039;s been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&amp;quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what&#039;s the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&amp;quot; he adds. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Citizen reporters&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The list of grievances go on. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&amp;quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &amp;quot;reporters&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;citizen journalists&amp;quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&amp;quot; he says. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India&#039;s largely poor and overlooked tribals. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Mobile connectivity&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&amp;quot; Mr Choudhary says. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Reporters&amp;quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Annoyed&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&amp;quot; informs the day&#039;s top report. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;The government says it&#039;s working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&amp;quot; says Budhan Meshram. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Why should we leave? &lt;br /&gt;This land, this forest, this river is ours &lt;br /&gt;Capitalists - leave &lt;br /&gt;The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting&lt;br /&gt;We looked after this land&lt;br /&gt;We cared for this forest &lt;br /&gt;We worshipped these rivers &lt;br /&gt;Why should we leave?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;She sings this to much applause. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&amp;quot; he said. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot;&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&#039;
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A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. 


The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. 


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                <strong>Giving a voice to India's villagers by Geeta Pandey</strong></h1>
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                <p align="justify"><font ></font></p><p align="justify"><br /><font >A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;It's been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what's the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&quot; he adds. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Citizen reporters</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >The list of grievances go on. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &quot;reporters&quot; or &quot;citizen journalists&quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). </font></p><p align="justify"><font >CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&quot; he says. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India's largely poor and overlooked tribals. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Mobile connectivity</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&quot; Mr Choudhary says. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Reporters&quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Annoyed</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&quot; informs the day's top report. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;The government says it's working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&quot; says Budhan Meshram. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Why should we leave? <br />This land, this forest, this river is ours <br />Capitalists - leave <br />The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting<br />We looked after this land<br />We cared for this forest <br />We worshipped these rivers <br />Why should we leave?</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >She sings this to much applause. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&quot; he said. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&quot; </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&quot; </font></p><p align="justify"><font >With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. </font></p><font ><p align="justify">&nbsp;</p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></font></font>               </font>
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    <link rel="canonical" href="https://im4change.in/<pre class="cake-error"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f1e20860bb9-trace').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f1e20860bb9-trace').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none');"><b>Notice</b> (8)</a>: Undefined variable: urlPrefix [<b>APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp</b>, line <b>8</b>]<div id="cakeErr67f1e20860bb9-trace" class="cake-stack-trace" style="display: none;"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f1e20860bb9-code').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f1e20860bb9-code').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Code</a> <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f1e20860bb9-context').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f1e20860bb9-context').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Context</a><pre id="cakeErr67f1e20860bb9-code" class="cake-code-dump" style="display: none;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB"></span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">head</span><span style="color: #007700">&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;It&#039;s been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&amp;quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what&#039;s the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&amp;quot; he adds. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Citizen reporters&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The list of grievances go on. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&amp;quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &amp;quot;reporters&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;citizen journalists&amp;quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&amp;quot; he says. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India&#039;s largely poor and overlooked tribals. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mobile connectivity&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&amp;quot; Mr Choudhary says. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Reporters&amp;quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Annoyed&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&amp;quot; informs the day&#039;s top report. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;The government says it&#039;s working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&amp;quot; says Budhan Meshram. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Why should we leave? &lt;br /&gt;
This land, this forest, this river is ours &lt;br /&gt;
Capitalists - leave &lt;br /&gt;
The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting&lt;br /&gt;
We looked after this land&lt;br /&gt;
We cared for this forest &lt;br /&gt;
We worshipped these rivers &lt;br /&gt;
Why should we leave?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;She sings this to much applause. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&amp;quot; he said. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. &lt;/font&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. &lt;/font&gt;
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A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. 


The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. 


The conversation is animated. The...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;It&#039;s been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&amp;quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what&#039;s the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&amp;quot; he adds. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Citizen reporters&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The list of grievances go on. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&amp;quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &amp;quot;reporters&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;citizen journalists&amp;quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&amp;quot; he says. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India&#039;s largely poor and overlooked tribals. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Mobile connectivity&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&amp;quot; Mr Choudhary says. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Reporters&amp;quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Annoyed&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&amp;quot; informs the day&#039;s top report. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;The government says it&#039;s working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&amp;quot; says Budhan Meshram. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Why should we leave? &lt;br /&gt;This land, this forest, this river is ours &lt;br /&gt;Capitalists - leave &lt;br /&gt;The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting&lt;br /&gt;We looked after this land&lt;br /&gt;We cared for this forest &lt;br /&gt;We worshipped these rivers &lt;br /&gt;Why should we leave?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;She sings this to much applause. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&amp;quot; he said. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot;&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&#039;,
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	&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 1672,
	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;Giving a voice to India&#039;s villagers by Geeta Pandey&#039;,
	&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;It&#039;s been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&amp;quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what&#039;s the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&amp;quot; he adds. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Citizen reporters&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The list of grievances go on. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&amp;quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &amp;quot;reporters&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;citizen journalists&amp;quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&amp;quot; he says. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India&#039;s largely poor and overlooked tribals. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mobile connectivity&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&amp;quot; Mr Choudhary says. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Reporters&amp;quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Annoyed&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&amp;quot; informs the day&#039;s top report. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;The government says it&#039;s working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&amp;quot; says Budhan Meshram. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Why should we leave? &lt;br /&gt;
This land, this forest, this river is ours &lt;br /&gt;
Capitalists - leave &lt;br /&gt;
The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting&lt;br /&gt;
We looked after this land&lt;br /&gt;
We cared for this forest &lt;br /&gt;
We worshipped these rivers &lt;br /&gt;
Why should we leave?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;She sings this to much applause. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&amp;quot; he said. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. &lt;/font&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot;&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;
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$articleid = (int) 1672
$metaTitle = &#039;LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Giving a voice to India&#039;s villagers by Geeta Pandey&#039;
$metaKeywords = &#039;Displacement&#039;
$metaDesc = &#039;




A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. 


The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. 


The conversation is animated. The...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;It&#039;s been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&amp;quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what&#039;s the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&amp;quot; he adds. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Citizen reporters&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The list of grievances go on. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&amp;quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &amp;quot;reporters&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;citizen journalists&amp;quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&amp;quot; he says. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India&#039;s largely poor and overlooked tribals. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Mobile connectivity&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&amp;quot; Mr Choudhary says. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Reporters&amp;quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Annoyed&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&amp;quot; informs the day&#039;s top report. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;The government says it&#039;s working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&amp;quot; says Budhan Meshram. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;em&gt;Why should we leave? &lt;br /&gt;This land, this forest, this river is ours &lt;br /&gt;Capitalists - leave &lt;br /&gt;The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting&lt;br /&gt;We looked after this land&lt;br /&gt;We cared for this forest &lt;br /&gt;We worshipped these rivers &lt;br /&gt;Why should we leave?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;She sings this to much applause. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&amp;quot; he said. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font &gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot;&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&#039;
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                <strong>Giving a voice to India's villagers by Geeta Pandey</strong></h1>
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                <p align="justify"><font ></font></p><p align="justify"><br /><font >A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;It's been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what's the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&quot; he adds. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Citizen reporters</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >The list of grievances go on. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &quot;reporters&quot; or &quot;citizen journalists&quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). </font></p><p align="justify"><font >CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&quot; he says. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India's largely poor and overlooked tribals. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Mobile connectivity</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&quot; Mr Choudhary says. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Reporters&quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Annoyed</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&quot; informs the day's top report. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;The government says it's working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&quot; says Budhan Meshram. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Why should we leave? <br />This land, this forest, this river is ours <br />Capitalists - leave <br />The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting<br />We looked after this land<br />We cared for this forest <br />We worshipped these rivers <br />Why should we leave?</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >She sings this to much applause. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&quot; he said. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&quot; </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&quot; </font></p><p align="justify"><font >With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. </font></p><font ><p align="justify">&nbsp;</p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></font></font>               </font>
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		'title' => 'Giving a voice to India's villagers by Geeta Pandey',
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		'description' => '<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3"></font>
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<p align="justify">
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;It's been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what's the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&quot; he adds. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3"><em>Citizen reporters</em></font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The list of grievances go on. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &quot;reporters&quot; or &quot;citizen journalists&quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&quot; he says. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India's largely poor and overlooked tribals. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3"><em>Mobile connectivity</em></font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&quot; Mr Choudhary says. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;Reporters&quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3"><em>Annoyed</em></font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&quot; informs the day's top report. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;The government says it's working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&quot; says Budhan Meshram. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3"><em>Why should we leave? <br />
This land, this forest, this river is ours <br />
Capitalists - leave <br />
The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting<br />
We looked after this land<br />
We cared for this forest <br />
We worshipped these rivers <br />
Why should we leave?</em></font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">She sings this to much applause. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&quot; he said. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&quot; </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&quot; </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. </font>
</p>
<font size="3">
<p align="justify">
&nbsp;
</p>
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></font></font>
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A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. 


The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. 


The conversation is animated. The...',
	'disp' => '<p align="justify"><font ></font></p><p align="justify"><br /><font >A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;It's been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what's the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&quot; he adds. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Citizen reporters</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >The list of grievances go on. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &quot;reporters&quot; or &quot;citizen journalists&quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). </font></p><p align="justify"><font >CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&quot; he says. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India's largely poor and overlooked tribals. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Mobile connectivity</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&quot; Mr Choudhary says. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Reporters&quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Annoyed</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&quot; informs the day's top report. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;The government says it's working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&quot; says Budhan Meshram. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Why should we leave? <br />This land, this forest, this river is ours <br />Capitalists - leave <br />The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting<br />We looked after this land<br />We cared for this forest <br />We worshipped these rivers <br />Why should we leave?</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >She sings this to much applause. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&quot; he said. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&quot; </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&quot; </font></p><p align="justify"><font >With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. </font></p><font ><p align="justify">&nbsp;</p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></font></font>',
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	'id' => (int) 1672,
	'title' => 'Giving a voice to India's villagers by Geeta Pandey',
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3"></font>
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<p align="justify">
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;It's been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what's the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&quot; he adds. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3"><em>Citizen reporters</em></font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The list of grievances go on. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &quot;reporters&quot; or &quot;citizen journalists&quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&quot; he says. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India's largely poor and overlooked tribals. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3"><em>Mobile connectivity</em></font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&quot; Mr Choudhary says. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;Reporters&quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3"><em>Annoyed</em></font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&quot; informs the day's top report. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;The government says it's working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&quot; says Budhan Meshram. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3"><em>Why should we leave? <br />
This land, this forest, this river is ours <br />
Capitalists - leave <br />
The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting<br />
We looked after this land<br />
We cared for this forest <br />
We worshipped these rivers <br />
Why should we leave?</em></font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">She sings this to much applause. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&quot; he said. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&quot; </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&quot; </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. </font>
</p>
<p align="justify">
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. </font>
</p>
<font size="3">
<p align="justify">
&nbsp;
</p>
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></font></font>
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A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. 


The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. 


The conversation is animated. The...'
$disp = '<p align="justify"><font ></font></p><p align="justify"><br /><font >A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;It's been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation,&quot; asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what's the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon,&quot; he adds. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Citizen reporters</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >The list of grievances go on. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list,&quot; says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are &quot;reporters&quot; or &quot;citizen journalists&quot; for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). </font></p><p align="justify"><font >CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them,&quot; he says. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India's largely poor and overlooked tribals. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Mobile connectivity</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing,&quot; Mr Choudhary says. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Reporters&quot; call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Annoyed</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense,&quot; informs the day's top report. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;The government says it's working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction,&quot; says Budhan Meshram. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. </font></p><p align="justify"><font ><em>Why should we leave? <br />This land, this forest, this river is ours <br />Capitalists - leave <br />The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting<br />We looked after this land<br />We cared for this forest <br />We worshipped these rivers <br />Why should we leave?</em></font></p><p align="justify"><font >She sings this to much applause. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly,&quot; he said. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda.&quot; </font></p><p align="justify"><font >Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >&quot;No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report.&quot; </font></p><p align="justify"><font >With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. </font></p><p align="justify"><font >And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers. </font></p><font ><p align="justify">&nbsp;</p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></font></font>'
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Giving a voice to India's villagers by Geeta Pandey

A group of villagers sit on a shaded platform on a hot afternoon in Mirche village. The topic of discussion today is the Mongra barrage - a dam-like structure constructed on the nearby Shivnath river. The conversation is animated. The villagers discuss the displacement the barrage has caused and the lack of compensation from the authorities. "It's been four years since the dam was built. Where is our compensation," asks Lal Sahu? The anxiety lines his forehead. "[The state Chief Minister] Raman [Singh] says there is no shortage of money, then what's the problem? We must get adequate compensation soon," he adds. Citizen reporters The list of grievances go on. "Some villagers have got compensation but many are not included in the list of the affected. "There is also a lot of corruption. People who have not lost land are included for compensation, but many who have lost land are not on the list," says Anant Ram Nirmarkar. Listening to their complaints and grievances are Bhan Sahu and Budhan Meshram, who are "reporters" or "citizen journalists" for CGnet Swara (Chhattisgarh Net Voice). CGnet is an attempt to cater to people who are on the wrong side of the digital divide, says Shubhranshu Choudhary, a former BBC journalist-turned-activist and the brain behind CGnet Swara. "We are providing a new platform which the villagers can use to talk to each other and the outside world about issues that are important to them," he says. A few years ago, a Delhi-based media research agency, Charkha, did a survey and came up with the finding that only 2% of space in mainstream media was dedicated to covering the livelihood issues of India's largely poor and overlooked tribals. Mobile connectivity In this remote land, newspapers have not caught on as literacy rates are abysmal, there is no internet or private television and the only sources of news are the state-run TV channel Doordarshan and All India Radio. "But we see that even in rural and tribal areas, mobile penetration is high and is continuously growing," Mr Choudhary says. So he came up with the idea of news on mobile phones, to see if they could be used as a platform for information-sharing in poor and unconnected areas. And the technology, developed by Microsoft Research India and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is simple. "Reporters" call a Bangalore number to upload a news item and a text message goes out to all the phone numbers in the contact list and anyone who wants to hear the report calls in to the same number and the message is played out. In Mirche village, Budhan Meshram, Bhan Shah and other villagers crowd around a mobile phone as one of them dials in for the latest news. Annoyed "All Chhattisgarh legislators have gone to Haridwar to take part in the Kumbh festival at the government expense," informs the day's top report. The report has touched a chord and the audience is clearly annoyed. "The government says it's working for the development of the poor, but it appears they are working for our destruction," says Budhan Meshram. Budhan, a low-caste Dalit illiterate folk singer, has been using CGnet Swara to upload songs on contemporary social issues. Today she is singing about her favourite topic - displacement. Why should we leave? This land, this forest, this river is ours Capitalists - leave The government may be yours, the law may be yours, the police may be yours, but we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting We looked after this land We cared for this forest We worshipped these rivers Why should we leave? She sings this to much applause. CGnet was launched in February and Mr Choudhary says the response has been overwhelming. "Initially we were wondering why would a person call Bangalore to upload or hear news? But we were surprised by the response. "One of our contributors said she spent 20 rupees to upload a message. She lives in a remote area where the phone connectivity is not great. She has to try three to four times to be able to record her message. But she records messages regularly," he said. Budhan Meshram says this is an area where few people turn to television or radio for news. "Many people here have television sets, but they mostly watch soaps and films on them. What passes for news in mainstream media is anyway just government propaganda." Bhan Sahu argues that the issues that concern the poor are never covered. "No-one has given any information about the Mongra dam and the displacement it has caused in 14 villages. I want the voice of the poor to reach the people through my report." With CGnet, these villagers have found a new voice - their own voice. And they are tuning in to hear their own take on events in large numbers.