175 additional radio stations to go on air by year end

Eleven All India Radio (AIR) stations and 164 private Frequency Modulation (FM) radio stations are expected to become operational by the end of this year.

New Delhi, Aug 17 : Eleven All India Radio (AIR) stations and 164 private Frequency Modulation (FM) radio stations are expected to become operational by the end of this year.

Informing this in the Lok Sabha, Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, P R Dasmunsi, said: "Of these, 27 are in Maharashtra, 17 in Kerala, 14 in Tamil Nadu, 12 in Rajasthan, 10 each in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, nine each in Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, eight in Karnataka and West Bengal, seven each in Punjab and Jharkhand, six in Chattisgarh, three each in Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Pondicherry, two each in Orissa, Meghalaya and Assam and one each in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, Bihar and Daman and Diu."

A new policy of expansion of FM broadcasting through private operators was notified in July, 2005.

Subsequently, 337 channels including 217 channels of class-C and class-D cities were put on bid. Out of these 217 channels, agreements were signed with successful bidders for 139 channels in 57 cities.

For the remaining 78 vacant channels of class-C and class-D, pre-qualification bids have been invited from private companies through tender notification dated June 8, 2007.

ANI