The All India Radio’s FM Service could cover the whole country in the next couple of years, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said here on Tuesday.
At present 40 per cent of the country is covered by the FM service and the government aspires to “take it up to the [remaining] 60 per cent in the next two-two and a half years,” said Mr. Rathore, while inaugurating the new FM Transmitter for Vividh Bharti Service.
“This may take a few years but it will be done,” Mr. Rathore said, pointing out that while 400 transmitters are already available 250 more would be added in the coming years.
While the Vividh Bharti Service continues to be available on short and medium waves, it can now be heard on mobiles and while in transit. The FM Vividh Bharti channel, available on Akashwani at 102.8 MHz, will serve around two crore people in and around Mumbai.
“AIR and Doordarshan, which have always been a part of our lives, are like the good friends whom we take for granted and tend to forget. But due to our Prime Minister’s efforts, they have now got back a prominent position in our lives,” Mr. Rathore said.
He said that with a coverage of 92 per cent of the country, AIR touched everyone’s life and the Radio was a tool of information, knowledge and entertainment.
