Lok Sabha Question No. 2150 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-15
Subject: DRM Digital Radio
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Dean Kuriakose

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2150

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.03.2022)

## DRM DIGITAL RADIO

2150. ADV. DEAN KURIAKOSE:

Will the Minister  of  INFORMATION  AND  BROADCASTING  be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  the  data  on  the  number  of Digital  Radio  Mondiale  (DRM)  digital  radio  stations  in  the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise;
- (c) the details and  the number  of  DRM  radio  stations for Malayalam language;
- (d) whether there is any proposal for installing a DRM shortwave transmitter in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram for those without internet  or  communication  access  and  for  Kerala's  fishing fleets on seas; and
- (e) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  steps  taken  by  the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND

## MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS

## (SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR)

(a)  to  (e)  Prasar  Bharati  currently  has  32  AIR  Stations  where  38 Medium Wave transmitters and 3 Short Wave transmitters are in operation  in  AM  bands  which  are  capable  of    operation  in  both Analog Mode and also in DRM Digital Radio mode. The state-wise details of such stations are indicated in Annexure.

These transmitters are carrying services in multiple languages based on the national, regional and local aspirations of the target audiences including Malayalam language.

There  is  no  proposal  for  installation  of  DRM  Short  Wave transmitters  at  Thiruvananthapuram  at  present.  However,  Prasar Bharati  is  providing  its  various  Radio  channels  originating  from various  AIR  stations  in  the  State  of  Kerala  on  its  'newsonAIR' application  on  'Android'  and  'iOS'  platform  for  mobile  users.  In addition, it is also providing 'AIR Kerala' Satellite Radio channel in Malayalam language digitally on 'DD FreeDish', a DTH platform of Prasar Bharati.

'DD  FreeDish'  service  is  available  without  any  monthly charges and it does not require any internet connection.

## ANNEXURE  REFFERED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  to  (e)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2150 FOR ANSWER ON 15.03.2022.

|   Sr. No. | Place of Radio Station   | State             | Power ofMW transmitter   | Power of SW Transmitter   |
|-----------|--------------------------|-------------------|--------------------------|---------------------------|
|         1 | Vijayawada               | Andhra Pradesh    | 100 kW                   |                           |
|         2 | Itanagar                 | Arunachal Pradesh | 200 kW                   |                           |
|         3 | Tawang                   | Arunachal Pradesh | 20 kW                    |                           |
|         4 | Passighat                | Arunachal Pradesh | 200 kW                   |                           |
|         5 | Dibrugarh                | Assam             | 300 kW                   |                           |
|         6 | Guwahati                 | Assam             | 20 kW                    |                           |
|         7 | Patna                    | Bihar             | 100kW                    |                           |
|         8 | Delhi                    | Delhi             | 20 kW & 200 kW (2 nos.)  | 100 kW (2 nos.)           |
|         9 | Panaji                   | Goa               | 100 KW                   |                           |
|        10 | Ahmedabad                | Gujarat           | 200 kW                   |                           |
|        11 | Rajkot                   | Gujarat           | 300 KW & 1000 kW (2nos.) |                           |
|        12 | Jammu                    | Jammu & Kashmir   | 300 kW                   |                           |
|        13 | Ranchi                   | Jharkhand         | 100 kW                   |                           |
|        14 | Bangalore                | Karnataka         | 200 kW                   | 500 kW                    |
|        15 | Dharwad                  | Karnataka         | 200 kW                   |                           |
|        16 | Jabalpur                 | M.P.              | 200 kW                   |                           |

|   17. | Mumbai          | Maharashtra    | 100 kW & 100 kW (2 nos.)         |
|-------|-----------------|----------------|----------------------------------|
|    18 | Pune            | Maharashtra    | 100 kW                           |
|    19 | Jalandhar       | Punjab         | 300 kW                           |
|    20 | Ajmer           | Rajasthan      | 200 kW                           |
|    21 | Barmer          | Rajasthan      | 20 kW                            |
|    22 | Bikaner         | Rajasthan      | 20 kW                            |
|    23 | Suratgarh       | Rajasthan      | 300 kW                           |
|    24 | Chennai         | Tamil Nadu     | 20 kW & 200 kW (2 nos.)          |
|    25 | Tiruchirappalli | Tamil Nadu     | 100 kW                           |
|    26 | Lucknow         | Uttar Pradesh  | 300 kW                           |
|    27 | Varanasi        | Uttar Pradesh  | 100 kW                           |
|    28 | Kolkata         | West Bengal    | 100 kW, 200 kW &1000 kW (3 nos.) |
|    29 | Siliguri        | West Bengal    | 200 kW                           |
|    30 | Jagdalpur       | Chhattisgarh   | 100 kW                           |
|    31 | Vishakhapatnam  | Andhra Pradesh | 100 kW                           |
|    32 | Hyderabad       | Telangana      | 200 kW                           |

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