Role of Communication in Development

A assignment of Development Communication was put on hold by one of the Project Director saying that the money being spent on development communication will be more useful if it is spent on infrastructure. He is not the only person in development sector, a large military of development managers in the development sector believes so. To understand the need of development communication one must understand the difference between need & demand for certain product or services. In the community there is the need for various services or products but the community do not demand the same. Unless the community demands the same the product or services if provided to them will not be utilised to its fullest strength. The role of communication is to convert the need inrto demand.

Those persons who thin if the infrastructure or service if provided based on the needs of the communit, it will be used by the needy community is totally wrong. The planners in the development sector did so in India for last 50-60 years failed. Of late they realised that pushing the services or infrastructure to community is not enough. The community is to be mobilised to start demanding the services. Then only they will use the services to its fullest strength. The country is not poor because of lack of infrastructure, it is poor because of under utilization of its available infrastructure. This needs development communication.

The project directors in development sector should understand the basic concept of demand & supply. If the supply exceeds the demand, the price of the product will reduce to its rock bottom. Rather at free of cost, even then not used. This has happened in many health delivery systems. The IFA Tablets are thrown away by pregnent women in almost 80-85% cases. Thouh there is a need of Iron tablets for pregnant women but we failed to convert this need into demand because of apathy to the techniques of development communication. We have failed in reducing the anaemia.

One may conclude that there is a need to devise ways & means of communicationg with the stakeholder in the community for converting the need into demand. Simply supply will reduce the price to such a level that it is thrown out.

Need coments to ponder.

Dr S K Trivedi