TV commercials aimed at promoting employment guarantee scheme MGNREGA do not reach the BPL families, the main workforce under the scheme, and the target audience.

Instead traditional media such as street shows and puppet shows are more effective.

This startling revelation was made through a rural development ministry funded study commissioned in January 2010 and aimed at the assessment of the reach efficacy and impact of the information education and communication (IEC) activities on MGNREGA in the states of Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and the National Capital Region (NCR).

In a clear thumbs-down to TV-led promotion, the study says, ‘less than one third of the households visited own TV sets and around half of them are connected to Satellite. Very few people have cable connections. Those who do not have TVs watch programs in their neighbour/ relative’s house if possible. It is a point to be noted that none of the households covered, watch village or community TV. Similar responses were observed with regard to households covered in the urban sample also.’

Pointing towards a need to shift of focus from electronic and radio media campaigns to those of traditional media, the study said, ‘about 75 percent of the households in the study regions watch street plays, but more than 99 percent of them watch occasionally.’

Folk song also is a very effective medium to communicate with the rural audience like puppet shows. While 70 percent households get to listen to folk songs, as high as 92 percent of them listen occasionally.

Announcement through Mikes is one important and traditional method of communication used for campaigns. Sixty nine percent respondents in the 3593 households visited said that they listen to mikes and almost all of them listen to communications through mikes only occasionally.

Campaign through posters and hoardings etc is also another effective method of communication of messages. On the whole, around 77 percent of respondents read messages on posters and hoardings.