Parliament Question: Setting up of 10 KW FM Stations

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 601 (TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.07.2026) SETTING UP OF 10 KW FM STATIONS 601. SHRI KOTA SRINIVASA POOJARY: Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware that large parts of Chikkamagaluru District especially the Malnad and hilly areas are not covered by mobile network and villagers lack access to information on weather, education, market rates and Government schemes; (b) if so, whether the Government has received any proposal/request for setting up of 10 KW FM Stations at Chikkamagaluru Dattapeeta, Koppa Balgadi BSNL Tower and Mudigere Hand Post BSNL Tower in Chikkamagaluru District; (c) if so, whether the Government proposes to sanction the said three 10 KW FM Stations to provide seamless information coverage to remote villages of Chikkamagaluru, Kadur, Tarikere, Belur, Koppa, Sringeri, N.R. Pura, Mudigere and Kalasa Taluks; and (d) if so, the details thereof and the time by which the FM Stations are likely to be sanctioned and made operational?ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (DR. L. MURUGAN) (a) to (d): Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) scheme is a Central Sector Scheme for development, modernization and upgradation of broadcasting infrastructure of Doordarshan and Akashvani in the country. BIND scheme has been approved with a total outlay of ₹2539.61 crore for 2021-26. The scheme has been extended upto 31.03.2027. The scheme includes setting up and modernization of transmitters and studios of Akashvani, expansion of DD Free Dish DTH platform and DD TV channels. It also includes upgrading production & transmission facilities. Chikkamagaluru district is presently served by a 100 W FM Relay Transmitter at Sringeri, a 20 kW MW Transmitter (675 kHz) at Bhadravati covering the proposed locations and adjoining areas, and a 10 kW FM Transmitter at Hassan covering other parts of the district. Establishment of new transmitters is an ongoing process. Schemes for new FM stations are formulated and implemented from time to time, depending upon need assessment, available resources, inter-se priority, feasibility and Government approval. Residents of the district can access Doordarshan and Akashvani services through alternative platforms. DD Free Dish, Prasar Bharati's free-to-air DTH service, carries all Doordarshan channels and 48 Akashvani channels without any subscription fee. More than 260 Akashvani channels are available on the NewsOnAIR mobile app. Doordarshan and Akashvani channels are also available on WAVES OTT platform. *****