Eleven All India Radio Stations and 164 private FM radio stations are expected to go on air by the end of the year. Of these, 27 are in Maharashtra, 17 in Kerala, 14 in Tamil Nadu, 12 in Rajasthan, 10 each in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, 9 each in Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, 8 in Karnataka and West Bengal, 7 each in Punjab and Jharkhand, 6 in Chattisgarh,
3 each in Himachal Pradesh, Sikkam and Pondicherry, 2 each in Orissa, Meghalaya and Assam and one each in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, Bihar and Daman & 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 8.6.2007.
This information was given by Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri P. R. Dasmunsi in written reply to a question in Parliament (Lok Sabha).
RS/AS
(Press Information Bureau, Govt of India)
Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi