Now, Pakistanis Can Listen to India's Radio as All India Radio (AIR) Launches FM Station in Border Belt

In a bid to counter anti-India propaganda by Pakistan through its radio penetration, India has launched an FM station for the border belt near Amritsar that can be heard 50 km into the Pakistani territory.

A 20kW FM transmitter of the All India Radio (AIR) located at Gharinda close to the international border near Amritsar was formally inaugurated on Monday Sep 25,2018 by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Vijay Sampla, an AIR statement said.

The transmitter, that will be used for both domestic and external broadcast, is of immense strategic importance as programmes radiated from the transmitter can be heard in a radius of 90 km, including up to 50 km inside Pakistan, it said

To begin with, the transmitter will carry an assortment of programmes broadcast in Punjabi by FM Rainbow Channel of AIR Jalandhar, 'Des Punjab', and programmes in Saraiki language. Popular programmes of Urdu service of the External Services Division, AIR, will also be broadcast, the statement said.

Des Punjab programme and the programmes in Saraiki which are presently broadcast on medium wave are immensely popular in Pakistan as these are specially devised to focus on the commonality of the Punjabi culture and heritage between the two halves of Punjab, it said

Initially the transmitter shall carry programmes for 18 hours per day from 6.00 AM to 12.00 midnight. Amritsar and surrounding areas are inundated by radio programmes broadcast from across the border. The content broadcast from across the border is often found to be not conducive to India's national interest and needs to be countered, the statement said.