* Guest Faculty, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Berhampur University, Berhampur, Odisha ** Professor of Eminence, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Tezpur University, Tezpur, Assam. Community Radio Stations: Policy, Participation and Engagement in Odisha Sudarsan Sahoo* Prof. Sunil Kant Behera** Abstract Public policy is meant to maintain order or address the needs of citizens under the provisions of the Constitution. If policies are pro- people and properly implemented, they may prove beneficial, else they end as counterproductive. However, effective communication is a must to achieve the goal of a policy. In the Indian context, the administration faces difficulties to address the communication needs of a diversified population. When it comes to a poorly-developed state like Odisha, the challenges are multiplied. Community Radio Stations in the state, still a few in numbers, tried to bridge the communication gap created due to drastic disparities and distracted mainstream media. They promoted pro-people policies and at the same time also raised their voice against faults in the policies. This paper is based on collected data from secondary sources and intensive interviews with persons involved in community radio movement in Odisha. Introduction If a pregnant woman experiences labor pain, she would be immediately sent to a nearby hospital availing the free ambulance service. She also receives the medical care, monetary help and some other benefits even if she belongs to a very poor family of a remote non- 1 ISSN 0975-217X