New Delhi, Aug 28: The government today gave it go ahead to the proposal of starting FM Radio in 234 cities or towns uncovered so far, a move that will boost local content in mother tongue and also create new employment opportunities.
The Union Cabinet, Chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal for conduct of 3rd batch of ascending e-auctions for 730 channels in 234 new cities with estimated reserve price of Rs 784.87 crore under Private FM Radio Phase-III Policy.
The Cabinet also approved the proposal to charge Annual License Fee (ALF) of FM channel as 4% of Gross Revenue excluding Goods and Services Tax (GST). This will be applicable for 234 new cities / towns, an official statement said after the meeting of the Union Cabinet.
The Private FM Radio rollout in 234 new cities / towns will fulfil the unmet demand for FM radio in these cities / towns, which still remain uncovered by Private FM radio broadcasting and bring new / local content in mother tongue.
This will lead to creation of new employment opportunities, boost to local dialect and culture and ‘vocal for local’ initiatives, the Government said adding many of the approved cities / towns are in Aspirational districts and LWE affected areas. Setting up of Private FM Radio in these areas will further strengthen Government outreach in these areas.
The 234 cities proposed for FM Radio include 22 cities in AP, 6 in Assam, 18 in Bihar, 3 in Chhattisgarh, 8 in Gujarat, 9 in Haryana, 1 each in J&K, A&N, Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, 6 in Jharkhand, 16 in Karnataka, 2 in Kerala, 20 in MP, 11 in Maharashtra, 3 in Nagaland, 6 in Orissa, 9 in Punjab, 19 in Rajasthan, 11 in Tamil Nadu, 10 in Telengana, 32 in UP, 2 in Uttrakhand and 12 in West Bengal.
