Coimbatore: The Central government has planned to increase FM radio broadcasting coverage up to 60 per cent in the country over the next two years, said Rajyavardhan Rathore, Union minister of state for Information and Broadcasting.
Addressing media persons at the Coimbatore airport on Sunday, he said, “I came here to participate in the Isha yoga foundation’s rural sports festival, which brings rural people’s talents into limelight. I also belong to a rural area. So I know how useful these sport events are to the rural people.”
Stating that information technology (IT) was growing fast though the urban population mostly used it, Mr Rathore said the Central government was therefore encouraging initiatives to make IT available in the rural areas.
“Now, Fm radio broadcasting is covering 45 percent of the country. As part of the Central government’s mission, it is planned to increase the broadcasting coverage area up to 60 per cent in the next couple of years.
Even though Prashar Bharati, as a public broadcasting company was not operated with a profit motive, it had taken several steps to increase the government’s revenue, said Mr Rathore.
The public broadcasting firm was created with the aim to fulfill the information needs of the public. Now, “the Central government is working towards the goal of information reaching the farthest corners of the country,” he added.
