Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the Akashvani Dahod FM Relay Station Project in Gujarat. The 10-kilowatt station will cater to about 25 lakh people in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
The ceremony was held in Gujarat’s Bodeli and was performed virtually by the Prime Minister along with other projects. The station will cost ₹11 crore and will cover a 55-km radius area, encompassing close to 75% of the tribal district of Dahod.
“This transmitter will also partially cover the neighbouring tribal districts of Madhya Pradesh, including Alirajpur and Jhabua. With the launch of the Dahod station, over 25 lakh residents of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh will gain access to high-quality FM broadcasts,” said a government release.
Additionally, Prasar Bharati is also working on the installation of FM transmitters at key locations, including Bhuj, Bhavnagar, Dwarka, Radhanpur, and Dessa, with varying power capacities at a cost of more than ₹39 crore. “These projects are part of the Broadcast Infrastructure Network Development Scheme funded by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,” it said.
The projects, when completed and made operational, are expected to increase the FM coverage in the State to about 65% of its area and will reach about 77% of its population.
In April, the Prime Minister inaugurated 91,100-watt FM transmitters. “As of now, Akashvani boasts a total of 613 functional FM transmitters in India, providing FM radio services to approximately 59.2% of the country’s area and serving about 73.5% of the population. In addition, the Akashvani AM network operating on medium wave already covers 88% of area and 95% of the population of the country,” said the release.
