India seeks relaxation of red-tape provisions

The world looks on developments in India with a new leadership promising a breath of fresh air throughout the administration to fix a stalling economy and stimulate business.

With a new government in place, the Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSI), the IARU Member Society, has renewed its efforts to remove the old British colonial-style excessive red tape around Amateur Radio.

ARSI President Gopal Madhavan VU2GMN has long seen some very archaic rules and long standing issues that restrict the activity and obtaining a licence.

Gopal VU2GMN has outlined the concerns in a letter from ARSI to Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Communications, Information Technology, Law and Justice. He wrote: "In India we are hampered by some very archaic rules, which were possibly formulated during the British times, when everything was done to restrict radio licenses being given to Indians.

"The most restrictive and time-consuming aspect is the "security clearance" that is being done before a licence is granted. In most cases, this takes months or even years, and often the paperwork is totally lost in transit between the various agencies."

The Indian Government has in the past suggested that Amateur Radio licences may be a terrorist tool and require a security clearance to have one. No security clearance is listed in the Amateur Radio regulations.

Many times in the past ARSI has told authorities that no terrorist is likely to go through the learning and licensing process to obtain an Amateur Radio licence when they can operate clandestinely with off-the-shelf equipment.

Gopal VU2GMN also the IARU Region 3 Chairman, said: "Every country has serious concerns about security, but they have not found it necessary to vet aspirants to Amateur Radio as is done only in India."

He had immediately sought an easing of issuing a new licences and whatever action is need to help grow the Amateur Radio population of 15,000 in a country of more than 1.2 billion people.

In the letter he pointed out that voluntary Amateur Radio contributes in terms of technical training, experimentation, and communication; and also had a public service role throughout the world in disasters and emergencies.

The Indian Government wants to do away with measures that bring no benefit, and ARSI would like to see Amateur Radio be part of that process.

Jim Linton VK3PC