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All India Radio India’s Public Service Broadcaster, the Radio vertical of Prasar Bharati has been serving to inform, educate and entertain its audiences since its inception, living up to its motto – ‘Bahujan Hitaya : Bahujan Sukhaya’. One of the largest broadcasting organisations in the world in terms of the number of languages of broadcast and the spectrum of socio-economic and cultural diversity it serves, AIR’s home service comprises of 470 Broadcasting centres located across the country, covering nearly 92% of the country’s area and 99.19 % of the total population. Terrestrially, AIR originates programming in 23 languages and 179 dialects.
All India Radio
Organizational Structure
ALL INDIA RADIO
The Directorate General, All India Radio functions under Prasar Bharati. Director General is the Head of the Department and is responsible for the overall administration and supervision of the entire AIR network. In performance of his duties and functions, the Director General, AIR is assisted by officers of the following wings.
PROGRAMME WING
Additional Director Generals (ADGs) at the Headquarters and in the Regions assist the Director General in proper supervision of the stations. The Headquarters of the Regional ADGs are situated at Kolkata (Eastern Region), Mumbai (Western Region-I), Lucknow (Central Region-I), Bhopal (Central Region-II) and Guwahati (North Eastern Region), Chennai (South Region-I), Bangalore (South Region-II), Delhi (North Region-I) and Chandigarh (North Region-II). Another office of ADG is to be set-up at Ahmedabad (Western Region-II).
ENGINEERING WING
In respect of the technical matters, Director General is assisted by an Engineer-inChief and ADG (Engineering) at the Headquarters and by the Zonal Chief Engineers in zones. In addition, there is a Planning and Development Unit at the Headquarters in respect of the Development Plan Schemes of All India Radio. For the civil construction activities, the Director General is assisted by the Civil Construction Wing (CCW) of AIR, which is headed by a Chief Engineer. The CCW caters to the needs of Doordarshan also.
ADMINISTRATIVE WING
Additional Director General (Administration) and Additional Director General (Finance) assist the Director General on all matters of the administration and finance One Director each looks after the Engineering Administration, Programme Administration and financial matters.
SECURITY WING
The Director General is assisted by a Deputy Director General (Security), an Assistant Director General (Security) / Deputy Director (Security) on the matters relating to the security and safety of AIR installations viz., transmitters, studios, offices, etc. The Security requirements of Doordarshan are also looked after by these officers.
AUDIENCE RESEARCH WING
There is a Director (Audience Research) to assist the Director General in carrying out feedback studies on the programmes broadcast by the stations of All India Radio. Director (Audience Research) is assisted by a Joint Director (Audience Research).
ACTIVITIES OF SUBORDINATE OFFICES OF AIR IN BRIEF
There are a number of subordinate offices of All India Radio performing the distinct functions. The broad activities of these offices / divisions are summarised as under:
NEWS SERVICES DIVISION
The News Services Division works round-the-clock and it broadcasts over 607 news bulletins both for Home and External Services. The bulletins are in Indian languages and various foreign languages. The Division is headed by the Director General (News). There are 46 Regional News Units in AIR. The bulletins vary from region to region according to the news worthiness of national, regional and local affairs.
EXTERNAL SERVICES DIVISION
The External Services Division of All India Radio broadcasts in 27 languages i.e., 15 foreign and 12 Indian languages. These services are radiated for an aggregate duration of 72 hours daily and are projected to over 100 countries.
TRANSCRIPTION & PROGRAMME EXCHANGE SERVICE
This service looks after the exchange of programmes among the stations, building up and maintenance of sound archives and also the commercial release of prestigious recordings of music maestros.
RESEARCH DEPARTMENT
The functions of the Research Department include Research and Development of equipment required by AIR and Doordarshan, investigation and studies relating to AIR and Doordarshan, development of prototype models of R&D equipment for limited use field trials in AIR and Doordarshan network.
CENTRAL STORE OFFICE
AIR’s Central Store Office, located at New Delhi, performs the functions relating to procurement, stocking and distribution of the engineering stores required for the maintenance of technical equipment at All India Radio Stations.
COMMERCIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE CENTRES & VIVIDH BHARATI SERVICE (VBS)
There are 41 Vividh Bharati-cum-Commercial Broadcasting Service (CBS) Centres including the exclusive VB Centres. The work relating to CBS is performed by two Wings i.e. Sales Wing and Production Wing. An independent Central Sales Unit along with 15 main Commercial Broadcasting Service Centres looks after the marketing of broadcast time in AIR.
Three-tier Broadcasting System
AIR has a three-tier system of broadcasting. These three levels of programmes are the National, Regional and Local each having distinct audiences.
National programmes are broadcast from Delhi for relay by the Capital, Regional and Local Radio Stations. Some of these are the National Programme of Talks and Features in Hindi and English, the National Programmes of Drama and Music.
The National Channel of All India Radio located in Delhi broadcasted programmes which were heard on Medium Wave and also on Short Wave. Started on 18th May 1988, this channel worked as a night service from 6.50 PM to 6.10 AM the next morning. Broadcasting in Hindi, Urdu and English, the programme composition of the channel had been designed to make it representative of the cultural mosaic and ethos of the country. It has been closed on January, 2019
The Regional Stations in different States form the middle tier of broadcasting. They originate programmes in the regional languages and dialects. Regional Channels are located in the major linguistic-cultural region of every state. 116 Regional Channels are spread over 29 states & 6 Union Territories including the North-Eastern Service at Shillong that projects the vibrant cultural heritage of the North-Eastern region of this country. The Regional Channels, broadcast largely on the Medium Wave frequency, follow a composite programme pattern comprising of music – classical, light, folk and film, News and Current Affairs, Radio plays, features, Farm and Home programmes, programmes on Health & Family Welfare and programmes for Woman, Children etc.
Local Radio is relatively a newer concept of broadcasting in India. Local radio stations serve small communities, showcase local culture and broadcast area specific programmes for the benefit of the community. The transmission is in the FM mode. The programming is flexible and spontaneous and the stations function as the mouth piece of the local community. At present there are 86 Local Stations spread across the country.
Growth & Development
Broadcasting in India actually began about 13 years before AIR came into existence. In June 1923 the Radio Club of Bombay made the first ever broadcast in the country. This was followed by the setting up of the Calcutta Radio Club five months later. The Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC) came into being on July 23, 1927, only to face liquidation in less than three years.
In April 1930, the Indian Broadcasting Service, under the Department of Industries and Labour, commenced its operations on an experimental basis. Lionel Fielden was appointed the first Controller of Broadcasting in August 1935. In the following month Akashvani Mysore, a private radio station was set up. On June 8, 1936, the Indian State Broadcasting Service became All India Radio.
The Central News Organisation (CNO) came into existence in August, 1937. In the same year, AIR came under the Department of Communications and four years later came under the Department of Information and Broadcasting. When India attained independence, there were six radio stations in India, at Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Tiruchirapalli and Lucknow. There were three in Pakistan (Peshawar, Lahore and Dacca). AIR then had a coverage of just 2.5 % of the area and 11% of the population. The following year, CNO was split up into two divisions, the News Services Division (NSD) and the External Services Division (ESD). In 1956 the name AKASHVANI was adopted for the National Broadcaster. The Vividh Bharati Service was launched in 1957 with popular film music as its main component.
The phenomenal growth achieved by All India Radio has made it one of the largest media organisations in the world. With a network of 262 radio stations, AIR today is accessible to almost the entire population of the country and nearly 92% of the total area. A broadcasting giant, AIR today broadcasts in 23 languages and 146 dialects catering to a vast spectrum of socio-economically and culturally diverse populace.
Programmes of the External Services Division are broadcast in 11 Indian and 16 foreign languages reaching out to more than 100 countries. These external broadcasts aim to keep the overseas listeners informed about developments in the country and provide a rich fare of entertainment as well.
The News Services Division, of All India Radio broadcasts 647 bulletins daily for a total duration of nearly 56 hours in about 90 Languages/Dialects in Home, Regional, External and DTH Services. 314 news headlines on hourly basis are also being mounted on FM mode from 41 AIR Stations. 44 Regional News Units originate 469 daily news bulletins in 75 languages. In addition to the daily news bulletins, the News Services Division also mounts number of news-based programmes on topical subjects from Delhi and its Regional News Units.
AIR operates at present 18 FM stereo channels, called AIR FM Rainbow, targeting the urban audience in a refreshing style of presentation. Four more FM channels called, AIR FM Gold, broadcast composite news and entertainment programmes from Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai. With the FM wave sweeping the country, AIR is augmenting its Medium Wave transmission with additional FM transmitters at Regional stations.
In keeping with the Government decision for transition to the digital mode of transmission, AIR is switching from analog to digital in a phased manner. The technology adopted is the Digital Radio Mondiale or DRM. With the target of complete digitization by 2017, the listeners can look forward to highly enhanced transmission quality in the near future.
Milestones
The phenomenal growth achieved by All India Radio through decades has made it one of the largest media organizations in the world. Today AIR reaches out to 99.18% of the population spread over about 91.85% of the area through 262 broadcasting Centres. The inception can be traced back to the enforcement of the Telegraph Act on October1, 1885. Major landmarks of broadcasting are as below:
1920s
June, 1923 : Broadcast of programmes by the Radio Club of Bombay.
November, 1923 : Calcutta Radio Club put out programmmes.
July 31,1924 : Broadcasting Service initiated by the Madras Presidency Radio Club.
July 23,1927 : Indian Broadcast Company (IBC), Bombay Station inaugurated by Lord Irwin, the Viceroy of India.
August 26,1927 : Calcutta Station of IBC inaugurated.
1930s
March 1, 1930 : IBC went into liquidation.
April 1,1930 : Indian State Broadcasting Service under Department of Industries and Labour commenced on experimental basis.
March,1935 : Post of “Controller of Broadcast” innstituted.
August 30,1935 : Lionel Fielden appointed the first controller of Broadcasting in India.
September 10,1935 : Akashvani Mysore, a private radio station, set up.
January 19,1936 : First news bulletin broadcast from AIR.
June 8, 1936 : Indian State Broadcasting Service became All India Radio.
August 1,1937 : Central News Organisation came into existence.
November,1937 : AIR came under Department of Communication.
October 1,1939 : External Service started with Pushtu broadcast.
1940s
October 24,1941 : AIR came under the Department of I&B.
January 1,1942 : Akashvani Mysore was taken over by Maharaja of Mysore.
February 23,1946 : AIR came under the Department of Information & Arts.
September 10,1946 : Department of Information and Arts changed to Department of Information and Broadcasting.
1947 (at the time of partition): Six Radio Stations in India (Delhi,Bombay,Calcutta,Madras, Tiruchirapalli and Lucknow) and three Radio Stations in Pakistan (Peshawar, Lahore and Dacca).
September, 1948 : Central News Organisation (CNO) was split up into two Divisions, News Service Division and External Service Division (ESD).
1950s
July 20,1952 : First National Programme of Music broadcast from AIR.
July 29,1953 : National Programme of Talks (English) commenced from AIR.
1954 : First Radio Sangeet Sammelan held.
August 15,1956 : National Programme of Play commenced.
October 3,1957 : Vividh Bharati Services started.
November 1, 1959 : First TV Station in Delhi started as part of AIR.
1960s
November 1,1967 : Commercials on Vividh Bharati introduced.
July 21, 1969 : Yuv-Vani service started from Delhi.
August 15, 1969 : 1000 KW Superpower Medium Wave Transmitter commissioned at Calcutta (Mogra).
1970s
January 8,1971 : 1000 KW Superpower Medium Wave Transmitter commissioned at Rajkot.
1974 : Akashvani Annual Awards instituted.
April 1, 1976 : Doordarshan separated from AIR.
1977 : Introduction of political party broadcasts.
July 23, 1977 : First ever FM Service was inaugurated from Madras.
1980s
May,1983 : AIR Baroda became a CBS station.
September 14,1984 : Two High Power 250 KW shortwave transmitters inaugurated at Aligarh.
October 30,1984 : First Local Station at Nagarcoil started.
January 26,1985 : Commercials on Primary Channel introduced.
August 15,1985 : Introduction of hourly news bulletins.
1985 : All AIR Stations were provided with 5 channel satellite receiver terminals.
May 18,1988 : Introduction of National Channel.
April 8,1989 : Commissioning of Integrated North East Service.
1990s
March 2, 1990 : The 100th Station of AIR commissioned at Warangal (A.P.).
March 10,1990 : Two 500 KW Superpower short wave transmitters Inaugurated at Bangalore.
1990 : AIR introduced Lassa Kaul Award for the best production on the theme of National Integration.
1990 : AIR introduced Award for the best News Correspondent of the year.
October 2,1991 : Vividh Bharti Panaji became a CBS Channel.
October 2, 1992 : Commissioning of FM Channel at Jalandhar.
January 10,1993 : Introduction of Phone-in-programme at AIR Delhi.
January 28,1993 : Commissioning of VB Channel at Varanasi.
April 1, 1993 : The150th Station of AIR inaugurated at Berhampur (Orissa).
August 15,1993 : Introduction of selling of Time Slots on FM Channel to private parties at Delhi – Mumbai.
September 1,1993 : Time Slots on FM Channel to private parties at Chennai.
April 1, 1994 : Sky Radio became operational.
July 25,1994 : Time Slots on FM Channel to private parties at Kolkata.
September 10,1994 : Multi Track Recording Studio commissioned at Mumbai.
September 28,1994 : Four 500 KW Superpower shortwave transmitters at Bangalore,inaugurated making Bangalore one of the biggest transmitting centres in the world.
November 13,1994 : Time Slot s on FM Channel to private parties at Panaji.
January 15,1995 : Radio paging service inaugurated.
August 5,1995 : Multi-track recording studios inaugurated at Chennai.
1995 : AIR introduced Akashvani Awards for best Audience Research Survey Report.
February 1,1996 : Foundation stone laid for new Broadcasting House in Delhi.
May 2,1996 : Launching of AIR on-line Information Service on Internet.
January 13,1997 : Audio in real time on Internet Service started.
November 23,1997 : Prasar Bharati Corporation came into existence.
January 26,1998 : Radio on Demand’ Service on 2nd FM Channel.
February 25,1998 : AIR news on telephone, live on internet.
April,1998 : Sale of Time Slots on FM stopped.
August 29,1998 : Prasar Bharati Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on 31.7.1998 made operational through an ordinance.
June,1999 : Shri R.R.Shah, IAS, named officiating Member Executive. Private FM Channels announced by GOI.
August 15,1999 : Radio Station commissioned at Kokrajhar in Bodo Land Autonomous Council Areas.
August 15,1999 : Second FM Channels commissioned at Delhi and Calcutta.
November, 1999 : AIR launched a daily Malayalam Service for the Gulf Region. It consists of a 10 mts. News Bulletins at 2315 hrs. followed by a 5 mts. Commentary on a topical issue.
2000-2007
February 11, 2000 : Introduction of VB Channel at AIR Jabalpur.
March 13, 2000 : Radio Station commissioned at Dhubri in Bodo Land Autonomous Council Area.
March 24, 2000 : Introduction of VB Channel at AIR, Jammu.
June, 2000 : Community Radio Stations commissioned at Nongstoin & William Nagar in (Meghalaya), Saiha (Mizoram), Tuensang and Mon in Nagaland.
July 17,2000 : Regional Staff Training Institute (Tech.) started functioning at Bhubaneshwar (Orissa)
August 15,2000 : Introduction of VB Channel at AIR, Coimbatore.
September 3, 2000 : Introduction of VB Channel at AIR,Jamshedpur.
February 7,2001 : Radio Station commissioned at Gopeshwar (Chamoli) in the newly created State of Uttaranchal.
September 1, 2001 : AIR launched Infotainment channels, FM-II, at the four metro’s.,Chennai,Delhi.,Kolkata Mumbai.
November 12, 2001 : This day declared as The Public Service Broadcasting day to commemorate Gandhji’s visit to AIR. Museum of Radio and Doordarshan inaugurated.
February 27, 2002 : AIR launched its first ever digital satellite home service to cater to the Indian sub-continent and South East Asia.
July 2002 : 75 years of Broadcasting celebrated.
April 2003 : Marketing Division of Prasar Bharati inaugurated.
January 26th, 2004 : Bhasha Bharati channel of AIR launched at Delhi.
January 26th, 2004 : Classical Music channel launched at Bangalore.
February 19, 2004 : Shri Brijeshwar Singh, IAS took over as DG:AIR.
March 29th, 2004 : National Artists Awards ceremony held at Hyderabad.
April 1st, 2004 : Launch of Kisan Vani Programme from 12 stations.
May 25, 2004 : 20KW MW transmission at Kupwara Commissioned to strengthen Radio coverage in the border area of J&K.
September 6, 2004 : Min. of Information & Broadcasting laid foundation stone for 10 KW FM transmitter at Vijayawada.
December 16,2004 : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh inaugurated DTH Service of AIR & Doordarshan.
:12 AIR channels in different regional languages from various state capitals made available countrywide through the KU Band on DTH platform of Prasar Bharati.
15th June,2005 : FM transmitter commionsioned at Port Blair, Himmatnager, Saraipalli, Mandla, Rajgarh, Agartala and Imphal.
9th July,2005 : 1 kW FM transmitter commissioned at Shimla.
15th Aug, 2005 : FM transmitter commisioned at Udaipur, Rohtak, Gulbarga, Aurangabad and Madurai.
23rd Aug, 2005 : New Broadcasting House equipped with digital studio setup for News Service Division, External Service and Home Service inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister of I&B and Culture.
2nd Sept, 2005 : 1 kW FM transmitter commissioned at Gorakhpur.
23rd Decmeber,2005 : 1 kW FM transmitter commissioned at Deogarh in Orissa.
25th December,2005 : 5 kW FM transmitter commissioned at both Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh and Kurseong in West Bengal.
27th December,2005 : 10 kW FM transmitter commissioned at Shillong in Meghalaya and 1kW transmitter commissioned at Darjeeling in West Bengal.
15th & 16th Feb-06 : Commonwealth Broadcasting Association conference held at Delhi.
17th June, 2006 : 1 KW FM transmitter commissioned at Vijayawada (AP).
30th June, 2006 : Uplinking of DTH channel increased from 12 to 20.
11th July, 2006 : 1KW FM transmitter commissioned at Kanpur (UP).
1st Sept, 2006 : 200 KW MW transmitter commissioned at Kargil (J&K).1KW MW transmitters commissioned at Drass & Tiesuru (J&K).
2nd October, 2006 : 20 KW MW transmitter commissioned at Kota (Raj.)
Jan-2007 to Dec-2007
- New Stations with FM Transmitters commisioned at Tamilnadu),Dharampur(Macherla(AndhraPradesh) and Aurangabad (Bihar).
- FM Transmitters commissioned at existing stations at Itanagar (ArunachalPradesh),
- Aizawl (Mizoram), Kohima (Nagaland), Baripada (Orissa), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) and Puducherry.
- Existing FM Transmitters at Chennai i.e. 5 KW FM Tr. of FM Gold and 10 KW FM Tr. of FM Rainbow replaced by 20 KW FM Transmitters.
- Existing 5 KW FM Tr. of FM Gold service at Kolkata replaced by 20 KW FM Transmitter.
- New station with 1 KW MW Transmitter commissioned at Soro (Orissa).
- Existing 100 KW MW Transmitters at Delhi & Raipur (Chhatisgarh) replaced with new state-of-the art technology transmitters.
- As part of J&K special package for boosting border coverage, new Stations with 1 KW MW Transmitters at Nyoma & Diskit in Leh region commissioned.
Jan-2008 to Dec-2008
- FM Transmitter at Leh (J&K) commissioned.
- A 200 KW MW Transmitter commissioned replacing 100 KW MW Transmitter.at Najibabad.
- As part of J&K speacial package for boosting border coverage, a new station with 1KW MW Transmitter commissioned. at Padum in Kargil. With this all the 12 projects included in J&K special package Phase-1 commissioned.
- Digital Captive Earth Stations at Leh, Varanasi, Rohtak and Aurangabad commissioned. New uplink stations at Dehradun and Silchar under implementation.
- A new DTH Channel, Radio Kashmir, Srinagar added in the Direct to Home Service of AIR. There are now 21 radio channel available countrywide through the KU Band DTH Platform of Prasar Bharati (DD +), benefitting the listeners all over India.
Jan-2009 to Dec-2009
- New station with 5 KW FM Transmitter commissioned at Oras (Sindhudurganagry) in Maharashtra.
- Computerization of AIR stations and offices in progress to facilitate online exchange of information and improvement of efficiency.
- Permanent studio facilities equipped with Digital equipment and computerized Hard Disc Work Stations for recording, dubbing, editing & playback provided at Jaipur (Raj) & Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh).
Jan-2010 to Dec-2010
- An exclusive dedicated FM channel “AIR FM DILLI” with one KW transmitter installed at AIR Broadcasting House Delhi. This channel was available on 100.1 MHZ in National Capital Region.
- The following new transmitters were installed:
- Churachandpur (Manipur)-6 KW FM Tr., Studio & S/Qrs.
- Bharmour (Himachal Pradesh)- 100 W FM Tr.,
- Keylong (Himachal Pradesh)- 100 W FM Tr.,
- Ooty (Tamilnadu)- 100 W FM Tr.,
- Thanjavur (Tamilnadu)- 100 W FM Tr.
- AIR ‘News on Phone’ Service made available at 14 places i.e. Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Patna, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Bangalore, Thiuvananthapuram, Imphal, Lucknow , Raipur, Guwahati, and Shimla.
Jan-2011 to Dec-2011
- Coverage of World Cup Cricket.
- FM Gold started 24 Hours Service from 2nd October, 2011.
2012
- Bangladesh recognizes Akashvani for its contribution in Bangladesh Liberation War on 27th March, 2012 at Dhaka. Sh. L. D. Mandloi, DG, AIR received the award at a special ceremony in Dhaka.
Director General, All India Radio
New Broadcasting House, Sansad Marg,
New Delhi-110001.
Off. Tel.:011-23421218
Fax: 011-23421219
email: dgair[at]prasarbharati[dot]gov[dot]in
All India Radio entered the realm of external broadcasting shortly after the outbreak of II world War on 1st October, 1939-when it started a service in Pushtu for listeners across- what was then the country’s North West Frontier.The service was designated to counter radio propoganda from Germany, directed towards Afghanistan, Iran and Arab countries. With the end of the war, the Victorious and Allies lost interest in continung with the propoganda warfare and the equipment was presented to AIR, which took over its active control.
Today, The External Services Division of All India Radio ranks high amongst the overseas Radio networks of the world, both in reach and range, by originating 55 transmissions daily of almost 72 hours covering over 100 countries in 27 languages, 15 foreign and 12 Indian. The foreign languages are Arabic, Baluchi, Burmese, Chinese, Dari, French, Indonesian, Persian, Pushtu, Russian, Sinhala, Swahili, Thai, Tibetan and English (GOS). The Indian languages are Bengali,Nepali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Seraiki, Sindhi, Tamil, Telegu and Urdu. The five major services are Urdu (12hrs.15 mts.), GOS/English (8hrs. 15 mts), Hindi (5hrs.15 mts), Bengali (6hrs.30mts.), and Tamil (5 hrs. 30mts).
Click here to visit ESD website.
FM Service
AIR runs FM Rainbow and FM Gold Channels.There are 25 FM Rainbow channels and 5 FM Gold channels originating from 23 cities.
AIR launched FM Rainbow channel on 1st February 1993 when radio listening was on decline especially in big cities. Noise free FM transmission effectively captured its audience especially youth.
The announcer was replaced by Radio Jockey and primarily Film music based entertainment with a fast-paced and informal presentation style gained popularity with the new listener profile. The programme content of FM Rainbow is mainly popular Indian and Western music, presented in a vivacious and contemporary style and highly popular with the urban youth which commands impressive listening and pride of place amidst the mosaic of channels.
FM Gold Channel which came on air on 1st Sept. 2001 provides round the clock service and presents popular film music in its distinctive style, while keeping its listeners updated with current affairs and News on the hour.
Vividh Bharati Service
The popular Vividh Bharati Service of All India Radio was conceptualized in 1957 to meet the competition offered by Radio Ceylon. It established itself as a popular channel in the country. Today the service provides entertainment for 15 to 17 hours from its 41 centres , with a mix of music and film-based content,skits, short plays and interactive programmes. The Vividh Bharati service is webstreamed and is also available on the FM transmitter network for wide access. Some popular programmes of Vividh Bharati are ‘SANGEET SARITA’, ‘BHULE BISRE GEET’, ‘HAWA MAHAL’, ‘JAIMALA’, ‘INSE MILIYE’ and ‘CHHAYA GEET’.“Pitara” is a very popular variety programme on Vividh Bharati Service broadcast daily from 1600 Hrs to 1700 Hrs.
Archive Services
AIR preserves the cultural and intellectual wealth of the country in its Archive – recordings of eminent musicians, men and women of letters, political figures, intellectuals, leaders, statesmen and luminaries in various walks of life and is an important national resource for historians, scholars, music enthusiasts and others. AIR releases rare archival recordings from time to time for public access.
AIR has made it possible for Indians to tune in Gandhiji’s famous prayer meeting addresses thereby increasing the number of Gandhiji’s listeners by four or five millions overnight ! About 51 hours of these recordings can be heard today.
News Service Division
The News Services Division (NSD) of All India Radio disseminates news and commentaries for listeners in India and abroad. From 27 news bulletins in 1939-40, AIR today puts out more than 510 bulletins daily for a duration of approximately 52 hours in 82 languages/dialects in the Home, Regional and External Services. 89 bulletins are broadcast daily from New Delhi in the Home Service in English, Hindi and other Indian languages. The 44 Regional News Units (RNUs) puts out 355 daily news bulletins in 67 languages.
The News Services Division also mounts daily, a number of news-based programmes on topical subjects from New Delhi and its Regional News Units.
Technical Services
Technical services are the backbone of the AIR network. All India Radio plans, designs, installs, operates and maintains its studios, transmitters and allied technical services through in-house expertise.
E-in-C is the overall Head of all engineering operations in the entire AIR network. He is the Chief Technical Adviser to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in matters relating to sound broadcasting. His headquarter is at Akashvani Bhavan, Parliament Street, New Delhi 110001 (India).
| Name | Designation | Wing | Phone | |
| Director General | ||||
| Dr. Vasudha Gupta | Director General | Head | 011-23421690 011-23421218 |
dgair@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Additional Director General | ||||
| Shri Shashikant | ADG(Admin & HR) | Administration | 011-23118812 | shashikant@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Atul Kumar Tiwary | ADG Admin, NSD | Programme | 011-23421231 | atul.tiwari17@gov.in |
| Ms Kanchan Prasad Mandlaus | ADG (NZ) | Content | 011-23466146 | kp.mandlaus@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Rajesh Jain | ADG (P&D) | Engineering | 011-23421790 | rajesh.jain@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri A.K. Jha | ADG (E) | Engineering | ak.jha@prasarbharati.gov.in | |
| Ms. Maushumi Chakraborty | ADG (OL) | Administration | 011-23421208 | maushumi@nic.in |
| Shri Vijay Prakash Yadav | ADG I/C (Procurement) | Engineering | 011-23421527 | vijayprakashyadav@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Deputy Director General | ||||
| Shri Jitendra Arora | DDG(A) | Administration | 011-23421254 | jitendra.arora@.gov.in |
| Shri K. Murugan | DDG (E) | Engineering | 011-23421591 011-23421062 |
murugan_k@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Deepak Joshi | DDG(E) | Programme | 011-234216321 011-23421347 |
deepakjoshi@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri S.K. Singh | DDG (E) (IPM&C) | Engineering | 011-23114409 | sksingh@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Smt. Neelam Singh | DDG(HR) | Administration | 011-23711735 | neelamsingh@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Mukesh Kumar Garhwal | DDG (P-HR) | Administration | 011-23114549 | mk.garhwal@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri B.K. Oberoi | DDG(E) | Engineering | 011-23421098 | bkoberoi@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Sanjay Prasad | DDG(Audience Research) | Programme | sanjayprasad@prasarbharati.gov.in | |
| Shri R.P. Joshi | DDG(IT) | Engineering | 011-23421049 | rpjoshi@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Ravindra Goyal | DDG(Transmitter Design) | Engineering | 011- 23421226 | ravindragoyal@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Vijay Prakash Yadav | DDG (E) | Engineering | 011-23421527 | vijayprakashyadav@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Amod Kumar | DDG (E) | Engineering | 011-23421132 | amodkumar1@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Rajesh Babu | DDG (E) | Engineering | 011-23421276 | rajeshbabu1@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri A.P. Singh | DDG (E) | Engineering | 011-23421206 | apsingh2@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri P.K. Thakur | DDG (E) | Engineering | 011-23421139 | pkthakur@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Hemendra Soni | DDG(B&R) | Finance | 011-23422235 | hemendrasoni@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Chandrika Prasad | GM(Commercial) | Engineering | 011-23421909 | chandrikapd@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Director | ||||
| Smt Sandhya Farakya | Director (Estimates) | Engineering | sandhyafarakya@prasarbharati.gov.in | |
| Shri Vivek Singh | Director (Design) | Engineering | viveksingh@prasarbharati.gov.in | |
| Sh. M. Baiju | Director (Security/HR) | Administration | 011-23421149 | baijumvr@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Deputy Director | ||||
| Shri R.K. Singh | DDA | Administration | 011-23422291 | ranjit.ks@nic.in |
| Shri Dashrath Singh Kushwaha | DDE | Administration | 011-23421517 | dskushwaha@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri S. K. Singh | DDE | Administration | 011-23421172 | sanjaysingh@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Ms. Amita Gautam | DDE | Administration | 011-23421261 | amitagautam@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Yogendra Singh | DDA | Administration | 011-23711736 | singhyogendra@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Manik Lal Acharya | DD(ARU) | Programme | 011-23421022 | maniklal.acharya@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Sanjay Kumar Rai | DDA | Finance | sanjayrai67@prasarbharati.gov.in | |
| Shri Vivek Kumar Verma | DDA(F) | Finance | vivekkumar1@prasarbharati.gov.in | |
| Shri Ashok Pant | DDE | Engineering | 011-23421560 | ashokpant@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Tejendra Prakash Dimri | DDA | Administration | 011-23421728 | tpdimri@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Smt. Anupama Parmar | Dy. Director(OL) | Official Language | 011-23421064 | anupama.parmar@nic.in |
| Assistant Director | ||||
| Dr. K.C. Sinha | ADP | Programme | 011-23421028 | kcsinha@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Dr. Santosh Nahar | ADP | Programme | 011-23422068 | dppolicy@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Shri Ramesh Kumar Negi | ADE | Administration | 011-23421174 | rameshnegi.air@nic.in |
| Shri Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi | ADP | Programme | 011-23421142 | akchaturvedi@prasarbharati.gov.in |
| Security Officer | ||||
| Dr. S. K. Sharma | Security Officer | Security | 011-23421068 | sksharma@prasarbharati.gov.in |
Coming Soon..
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
The Research Department is engaged in Research and Development work for incorporating state-of-art technology in Radio & Television Broadcasting. The technical activities undertaken in various AIR labs are as follows:
Telemetry System:
Telemetry System has been developed for controlling & monitoring of Medium Wave Transmitter from remote location. The system has been successfully tested at AIR Rohtak and AIR Kota.
FM Antennae:
Recently, Research Department has designed and developed Six bay circularly polarized 10 kW FM antenna, which has been tested successfully on full power at AIR Mysore.
Multilingual News Automation System:
AIR is having more than 40 Regional News Service Units spread all over India which produce and broadcast News bulletins in their respective regional languages. These units are functioning with set-up of manual working in the Newsroom. Research Department has developed Multilingual News Room Automation System has been developed to make work flow faster, easier and smoother. In this system, News items in the text form from agencies are captured directly on computer, edited and read from teleprompter like screen. Audio clips can be inserted and played back during News Bulletins. Provision of last minute changes in the news bulletin is also incorporated in the software.
Acoustic Test Facilities:
Acoustic laboratory of Research Department offers test facilities for carrying out various study projects, acoustic measurements, testing and evaluation of acoustic materials including electro-acoustic transducers. Recently measuring setup has been modernized by introducing new Sound/Noise Analyser system to enhance the measuring facilities in the lab. This section of R&D has taken up the acoustic measurements on around 20 numbers of new acoustic materials and issued the standardized reports. This process also helped R&D to build-up a good database for studio design.
Interactive Radio Service (IRS):
The Interactive Radio Service (IRS) software is designed and developed to introduce live interactivity between listener and presenter in studio through telephone line. It is user-friendly software and being used successfully at around 34 installations of All India Radio network in the country. AIR Silchar, Khandwa, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Warrangal, Swaimadhopur, Ratnagiri, Bilaspur, Jodhpur, Suratgarh, Hyderabad & Raipur have recently benefited with this software. This software is very popular and custom specific to AIR needs.
Field Strength Surveys & Propagation Studies:
- Study was carried out on the Influence of Towers on the Horizontal Radiation Pattern of VHF transmitting Antennas for FM at Jalandhar, Bhatinda and Bareilly. A Research document based on this study has been submitted to ITU, Geneva.
- Field strength of an experimental 100W FM transmitter installed at Akashwani Bhawan was carried out for the evaluation of its primary coverage area for satisfactory reception and also for the evaluation of building penetration loss inside the high-rise buildings.
- Experimental Studies on Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) has been undertaken to study of the various parameters of DRM such as Coverage Area, Spectral Efficiency, Improvement in Audio Quality, Delivery of Value Added Services viz. data, text, etc. 250 KW Short Wave transmitters at HPT, Khampur has already been upgraded to carry out DRM transmissions in the Short Wave bands.
EWBS:
Radio is an ideal medium for the issue of warnings before the incoming cyclones, Tsunami and other disasters. Radio transmission in analog mode is in use for Early Warning System (EWS) in countries like Japan. Recently, Japan has developed an EWS system for use with Terrestrial Digital Broadcasting. Research Department has undertaken a study of Early Warning System for AM and FM transmitters which will activate the special type of receivers followed by the Warning announcement.
Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan
Launched in the year 1954 with a glorious tradition spanning over six decades, Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan has evolved as a unique calendar event of All India Radio. Connoisseurs appreciate it, music lovers enjoy it and the artists await it. The music concerts are organized all over the country and feature eminent artistes and talented young musicians of Hindustani and Carnatic Classical,light and folk music.
MS Subbulakshmi, Pt. DV Paluskar, Ustad Bade Gulam Ali Khan, Ustad Amir Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Bhismillah Bismillah Khan, Pt. Pannalal Ghosh, Pt. Kumar Gandharv Gandharva, Dagar Bandhu, Dr. Mallikarjun Mansoor, Dr.Basvaraj Rajguru, Dr. Gangubai Hangal, Acharya Brahaspathi, Madhuri Mattoo, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, VG Jog, S Balachander, Veena Doraiswamy Iyengar, Dr. Shemangudi Srinivas Iyer, G.N. Balasubramanyam, DK Pattammal, ML Vasantha Kumar, Emani Shankar Shastri, Dr. Sumati Mutatkar, Voleti Venkateshwarlu, Ustad Halim Jaffar Khan, Ustad Hafiz Ahmed Khan, T.K. Govinda Rao, Dr. R.K. Srikanthan, Lalgudi Jayaraman, MS Gopalakrishnan, Palghat Mani Iyer, Prapancham Sitaram, U Srinivas are among the renowned artistes who performed for the country in the Sangeet Sammelans.
Some among the living legends are Pt.Jasraj, Pt.Rajan Mishra & Pt. Sajan Mishra, Pt. Debu Chaudhuri, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Singh Bandhu, Pt. Bhajan Sopori, TV Sankaranarayanan, TN Seshagopalan, Dr.TN Krishnan, Dr.N Rajam, N Ravi Kiran, Gundecha Bandhu, Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Kadri Gopalnath and others, who have left an indelible imprint on the rich music tradition of India.
In the 64th year the Sammelan Concerts were held at 24 venues across the country on 07th October, 2017 featuring 65 main artists with their accompanists before an invited audience.
Digital Audio version of Ramcharitmanas by All India Radio
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, released the digital audio version of AIR’s popular rendition of ‘Manasgaan’ on 31st August, 2015.
Praising the efforts of the artistes who had contributed to this musical production, the Prime Minister said they had performed not just sangeet sadhna, but also sanskriti sadhna and sanskaar sadhna (devotion not just to music, but also to culture and tradition).
The Prime Minister described the Ramcharitmanas as a great epic which contained the “essence of India.” He mentioned how the Indians who had travelled to various parts of the world, such as Mauritius, kept alive their link with India over successive generations, through the Ramcharitmanas.
All India Radio has a long tradition of broadcast of devotional music which listeners find an edifying experience. In fact, people in many parts of the country, wake up listening to it. It is truly said that radio serves as an accompaniment to the rhythms of daily life.
Over the years, AIR has been preserving, in its archives for posterity, choicest fare of devotional music of all faiths rendered by eminent exponents with devotional fervour. This treasure trove of AIR has many precious nuggets which AIR brings out through CDs to help the common man to sing, meditate and, imbibe the values that every religion preaches.
Ramcharitmanas is the latest of such releases. The core of Ramcharitmanas is based on the Ramayana, the Sanskrit epic of Valmiki. His gift to humanity has been a source of solace and strength to generations.
These CDs can be purchased from the sale outlets at all the capital stations of All India Radio.
For further assistance, please email at : delhi.dtpes@air.org.in
National Programs
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna was kick-started by the Government of India from the Kharif season of year 2016. All AIR stations were advised to mount publicity and awareness campaigns about the scheme for the farming community, on 16.03.2016 . Stations were instructed to highlight the benefits of the crop insurance scheme through different formats like talks, discussions, dial-in and dial-out including daily programme compering and promo spots in regional languages, utilising services of subject matter experts.
On 17th of June 2016, all AIR stations were advised to intensify programme campaigns for creating awareness amongst the farming community about the advantages of the soil health card, use of neem coated area and city compost in agriculture practices.
Spots containing sound bytes / messages of Union Agriculture Minister on Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna, Soil Health Card and National Food Security Mission were broadcast over all 96 identified AIR Kisanvani stations for publicity w.e.f 21.06.2016.
In order to provide publicity to the enhanced Minimum Support Prices announced by the Government of India for all Kharif crops for the 2016-17 season, AIR stations were advised to mount suitable publicity, with special emphasis on encouraging farmers for growing pulses and oilseeds, for which extra bonus was announced .
National Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Sikkim Organic Festival 2016 held at Gangtok from 17th January 2016 to 20th January 2016 was extensively covered on the AIR network. Honourable Prime Minister’s address to the valedictory cum Plenary Session of the Conference was covered live on the national network .
A curtain raiser on the conference was broadcast on 16th January 2016 and a consolidated radio report was broadcast on 19th January 2016 on the national network.
In view of the adverse impact of climate change and extreme weather events on agricultural productivity, AIR has also reformatted its weather forecast and made it comprehensive.
Stations have been advised to ensure that their weather updated are truly relevant to the farmers, are area specific and timely. The updates would comprise details of crucial parameters like rain fall, temperature, soil and air moisture, radiation, hot, dry cold and wet spells including extreme events like droughts, floods, thunder storms, cyclones, hail, frost etc, if any, to help farmers in preventing crop damage and failures.
AIR stations across the network are mounting serial programme campaigns on the progressive and comparative development scenario in the villages at the gram sabha level. Featurised programmes are being mounted by stations including interviews of members of parliament, senior district administration officials etc. giving details of the adopted village under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana depicting the progress made on the identified parameters.
In pursuance of the advisories issued by the Central Potato Research Institute, Modipuram, for creating awareness amongst the farmers about the forecasts of fungal disease ‘’Pichheta Jhulsa’’ outbreak in the potato crops, AIR stations located in potato growing regions have been instructed to immediately mount awareness campaigns for the farming community to protect crop damage and ensure spraying of fungicides as per specifications issued by the Central Potato Reasearch Institute. Details of fungicides and exact specifications to be sprayed on the crops, have been uploaded on AIRNET for the benefit of stations on 18.12.2015.
“Roopakon Ka Akhil Bharatiya Karyakram”Central Hindi Feature Unit produces features for National Hook-up called “Roopakon Ka Akhil Bharatiya Karyakram”. This programme broadcast every 2nd and 5th Thursday of the month at 9:30 p.m. on Indraprasth Channel. This Programme is repeated next morning at 7:00 a.m. on Rajdhani Channel. Every 3rd Thursday at 10:00 p.m, CHFU broadcast “Vishesh Roopak”. This programme is repeated next Friday at 7:00 a.m. on the Rajdhani Channel.
Magzine Programmes
Besides Hindi features, Central Hindi Feature Unit is also liable to broadcast five national magazine programmes titled:
1. Sahitya Bharati (1st Wednesday)
2. Sanskriti Bharati (2nd Wednesday)
3. Chitra Bharati (3rd Wednesday)
4. Vigyan Bharati (4th Wednesday)
5. Yuva Bharati (5th Wednesday)
All magazine programmes are broadcast on National Hook-up at 10:00 p.m. on Indraprasth Channel (366.6 meters, 819 kHz).
Sahitya Bharati is a radio literary magazine programme covering all 23 Indian languages and includes literature’s modern trends, contemporary issues along with their creative writings and criticism too.
Sanskriti Bharati is a cultural magazine programme devoted to Indian composite culture. This programme is broadcast every second Wednesday of the month.
Chitra Bharati programme is devoted to Indian cinema, its trends in art, and creativity and modern issues in Indian cinema industry. This programme is produced by Vivith Bharati Service AIR, Mumbai.
Vigyan Bharati science magazine programme is broadcast every 4th Wednesday. This programme is devoted to science related subject to create scientific temperament among Society.
Yuva Bharati contains Youth related issues, their achievements, aspirations and needs. This programme is broadcast every 5th Wednesday of the month.
As a national programme, it is, broadcast from Delhi and predominantly English knowing areas of the country in the East, North-East and South.
The programme is in the format of a 30 minute feature on documentary in the English language on a nationally relevant topic, covering a wide spectrum of selects serial, environmental, biographical, historical even musical. Sometimes the focus may shift to a specific corner of the nation as well, such as a feature to highlight the rich musical heritage of Meghalaya.
All India Radio has been playing a very important role in the propagation & preservation of Music in General and the rich Classical Music and Folk Music Traditions in particular. Many eminent artistes have been associated with this organization like Pt. Ravishankar, Pt. Pannalal Ghosh, Acharya Brahaspathi Madhuri Mattoo Veena Dooraswamy Iyengar, Dr. Shemangudi Srinivas Iyer, G. N. Balasubramanyan, Emani Shankar Shastri, Dr. Sumati Mutatkar, Voleti Venkateshwarlu, S. Gopalakrishnan, M. Y. Kamashastri, T.K. Jayarama Iyer, Satish Bhatia, Hafiz Ahmed Khan, T. K. Govinda Rao, Dr. R. K. Srikanthan, Dr. Bala Muralikrishna to mention a few, who have contributed immensely towards achieving the goal of All India Radio in this direction.
Health & family welfare programmes are regular broadcasts of All India Radio. All regional and Local Radio Stations produce and broadcast these programmes in their respective regional languages. All the health related issued as awareness about diseases, their causes and preventions, information about available treatment, awareness about immunization, information about government facilities for the treatment of different diseases, awareness about health related government schemes are the subject matter of health related programmes. Subjects covered in these programmes are based on the raise in marriage age delay the first child, space between two children, terminal methods, maternal care, child survival, promotion of inter-spouse communication/male responsibility, neutralizing male preference syndrome, medical terminal of pregnancy, management of reproductive tract infections (RTIs) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act- 1994, AIDS,drug abuse, breast feeding, child right, girl child, adverse child sex ratio and to alter the Negative mindsets leading to abortion of Girl Child foetus, Pre- Conception & Pre- Natal Diagnostic Techniques act and the penalties contained therein to create public opinion against violation of its provisions, disability, T.B., leprosy and reproductive child health etc.
Health campaigns on Universal Immunisation (Mission Indradhanush), Polio, Thalesimia eye donation are publicised widely in these programmes.Regular programmes are mounted against Drug abuse, tobacco consumption, illicit trafficking, AIDS etc. and to create awareness about the Rehabilitation and facilities being provided to the leprosy affected persons/ families and campaigns to raise social awareness on the issues of persons with disabilities.
All National, International Days on Health and Family Welfare issues are observed by all AIR stations by mounting special informative programmes.
Programmes are planned keeping in mind the following action points:
- Atrocities on women
- Trafficking of women
- Female foeticide and infanticide
- Obscene portrayal of women
- Education & Employment opportunities
- Security for women
- Maternity benefits, creche etc.; for working women
- Equal wage for equal work
- Ban child labour
- Gender discrimination are some of the issues discussed in the programme.
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Programme was launched by the Prime Minister on 24/01/2015. After the Launched of the Programme Family Welfare Unit of DG:AIR issued instruction to all AIR stations to give special attention on the popularization of the theme Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.
This year the theme of the International Women’s Day was Empowering Women –Empowering Humanity. DG:AIR issued special instruction to all AIR stations to focus on the theme while taking women issues in their programmes. International Womens Week of this year was also observed with the view of empowering women in the society.
Programmes are planned keeping in mind the following action points:
1. Protection of Rights of children;
2. Care and Support to disabled Children and child labour, children under difficult circumstances;
3. Equal status of girls;
4. Universal access to basic education to children and more attention to girls education;
5. Providing safe and supportive environment to children;
6. Improvement in the economic condition of family and self-reliant society;
7. National and International cooperation for better future of the child;
8. Safe drinking water facility and sanitary means of excreta disposal.
Special Audience Programs
Farm & Home section of the Directorate General of All India Radio guides, monitors and supervises the programming activities for rural listeners specially designed to cater to the day to day seasonal needs of the farming community in Hindi and different regional languages/dialects from more than 188 Radio stations across the country.
The Farm & Home cell at the headquarters issues instructions to stations from time to time for specific programme content generation and publicity campaigns based on inputs from various ministries and departments.The programmes planned and scheduled at the stations are tracked,expenses in respect of centrally monitored scheme Kisanvani scrutinised and guidelines issued to the stations concerned.
The Action Taken Reports on the advisories received from the stations are processed at the Directorate and forwarded to the concerned ministries.In view of the fast changing requirements of the farm sector,the Farm & Home Cell also evolves training modules and workshops for its programmers in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Farm and Home programmes are broadcast by all stations of AIR. Programmes are designed based on the local day to day needs of the farming community incorporating latest information and technology for best agricultural output. These programmes create awareness about the ways & means to improve the agricultural productivity and quality of the country’s farming community. The programmes are broadcast daily in the morning, noon and evening with average duration of 60 to 100 Minutes per day for Rural Women,Children & Youth. The Farm & Home units of AIR broadcast composite programmes including equal segments of rural development scheme and hard-core agriculture programmes like animal husbandry, fisheries, dryland and wasteland agriculture and also on segments dwelling on employment schemes, loan and training facilities, sanitation, health hygiene and nutrition etc.
In the current fiscal(2011-2012) Directorate General: All India Radio has also conducted six Appraisal and Refresher workshops for its Kisanvani programme producers in collaboration with Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture. The workshops were successfully conducetd at Guwahati, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bhubneshwar, Palampur, and Patna to improve upon the programme quality and content.
List of AIR Stations Broadcasting Kisanvani programme
All the AIR stations are giving wide publicity to the legal factors concerning environment and forestry. These programmes are monitored regularly by the Directorate, through monthly statements sent by AIR stations.
Health campaigns on immunisation,Polio,blood Thalesimia eye donation are publicised widely in these programmes.Regular programmes are mounted against Drug abuse, tobacco consumption, illicit trafficking, AIDS etc. and to create awareness about the Rehabilitation and facilities being provided to the leprosy affected persons/ families and campaigns based on articles 8,9,21,27 &30 of the UNCRPD to raise social awareness on the issues of persons with diasabilities .
All National International Days on Health and Family Welfare issues are observed by all AIR stations by mounting special informative programmes.
Programmes are planned keeping in mind the following action points:
1. Protection of Rights of children
2. Care and Support to disabled Children and child labour, children under difficult circumstances.
3. Equal status of girls.
4. Universal access to basic education to children and more attention to girls education.
5. Providing safe and supportive environment to children.
6. Improvement in the economic condition of family and self-reliant society.
7. National and International cooperation for better future of the child.
8. Safe drinking water facility and sanitary means of excreta disposal.
Problems Confronting Women, viz:
- Atrocities on women
- Trafficking of women
- Female foeticide and infanticide
- Obscene portrayal of women
- Education & Employment opportunities
- Security for women
- Maternity benefits, creche etc. for working women
- Equal wage for equal work
- Ban child labour
- Gender discrimination are some of the issues discussed in the programme.
International Women’s Day is observed with special programmes by all AIR stations.
List of the 29 AIR Stations identified to broadcast this programme:
| S No. | State | Station |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bihar | Patna |
| 2 | Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow |
| 3 | Orissa | Cuttack |
| 4 | Rajasthan | Jaipur |
| 5 | Rajasthan | Jodhpur |
| 6 | Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal |
| 7 | Punjab | Jalandhar |
| 8 | Chhatisgarh | Raipur |
| 9 | Uttarakhand | Najibabad |
| 10 | J & K | Jammu |
| 11 | Himachal Pradesh | Shimla |
| 12 | Gujarat | Ahmedabad |
| 13 | Maharashtra | Mumbai |
| 14 | Haryana | Rohtak |
| 15 | West Bengal | Kolkata |
| 16 | Goa | Panaji |
| 17 | Jharkhand | Ranchi |
| 18 | Karnataka | Bangalore |
| 19 | Tamilnadu | Chennai |
| 20 | Andhra Pradesh | Hyderabad |
| 21 | Kerala | Thiruvananthapuram |
| 22 | Manipur | Imphal |
| 23 | Meghalaya | Shillong |
| 24 | Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar |
| 25 | Assam | Guwahati |
| 26 | Mizoram | Aizwal |
| 27 | Nagaland | Kohima |
| 28 | Sikkim | Gangtok |
| 29 | Delhi | Delhi |
Akashvani Important Coverages
IMPORTANT BROADCASTS DURING THE YEAR
- Transcription of speech by Hon’ble Prime Minister Sh.Narendra Modi to the Contituent Assembly of Nepal on 3rd August 2014.
- Address by the Hon’ble President to the Nation on the Eve of the Republic Day
- National Symposium of Poets on 25th January
- Live broadcast of Republic Day Parade on 26th January from Rajpath, New Delhi.
- Radio report on Beating Retreat Ceremony on 29th January.
- Radio report on the various functions in New Delhi on 30th January, to mark the Anniversary of Martyrdom Day of Mahatma Gandhi.
- Address by the Hon’ble President to the Joint Session of both Houses of Parliament on the opening day of Budget Session.
- Live broadcast of the Presentation of the Rail Budget in the Lok Sabha by the Union Railway Minister.
- Live broadcast of the Presentation of the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha by the Union Finance Minister.
- Live broadcast of the National Film Awards function.
- Hon’ble President’s broadcast to the Nation on the Eve of Independence Day.
- Live broadcast of Flag Hoisting Ceremony and Address to the Nation by Hon’ble Prime Minister from the ramparts of Red Fort, Delhi on 15th August.
- Radio Report on the various functions organized to mark Independence Day on 15th August.
- Broadcast of the Message of the Union Home Minister on the Eve of Hindi Diwas on 13th September.
- Radio Report on various programmes organized in Delhi in connection with the Birth Anniversary of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Late Lal Bahadur Shastri.
- Radio Report on the various functions held in capital to commemorate the Death Anniversary of former Prime Minister Late Smt. Indira Gandhi on 31st October.
- Live broadcast of the special function on ‘Public Service Broadcasting Day’ on 12th November from premises of Broadcasting House to commemorate the Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to Broadcasting House.
- Radio Report on the events to commemorate the Birth Anniversary of the former Prime Minister Late Smt. Indira Gandhi on 19th November.
- Live broadcast of the Inaugural and Closing Ceremonies of International Film Festival of India at Panaji, Goa.
- Coverage of various important national/international events as and when information is received.
- Appropriate programmes in connection with Elections as per the advice of Election Commission of India from time to time.
Akashvani Special Events
- Brochure of Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan – 2017
- A brief on Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan – 2017 “64TH YEAR OF CELEBRATION IN THE SERVICE OF INDIAN MUSIC”
- International Relations, DG:AIR – Sub: brief of Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan 2016 (AIR Sangeet Sammelan Brochure 2016).
- PB Secretariat – OM on “Meeting(s) of High Level Coordination Committee (HLCC) at Capital Kendras and decision(s) taken therein”.
- हिन्दी दिवस पर मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी प्रसार भारती का संदेश_दिनांक 14 सितम्बर2015
Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan
ALL INDIA RADIO has been playing a pivotal role in the preservation and propagation of the two streams of Indian Classical Music i.e. Hindustani Music/Uttaradi Sangeet/North Indian Music and Karnatic Music/Dakshinaadi Sangeetha/South Indian Music.
All India Radio, besides its regular music broadcast of various forms on its stations spread all over the country, has endeared itself to its classical listeners with the broadcast of prestigious programmes which include the National Programme of Music broadcast on Saturday s and Sundays in the National Hook up, a month long Music festival- the Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan Concerts. Artistes of eminence as well as promising ones are featured in these concerts.
Trinity Music festival
The Trinity and Vaggeyakara Music Festival (Music Composer’s festival) and an annual event- the direct relay of Tyagaraja Aradhana Music festival and group rendering of the Pancharatna Kritis of Tyagaraja from Tiruvaiyyaru are notable broadcast from All India Radio for Karnatic Music lovers.
Folk & Light Music Festival
AIR Music Competition
Every year, All India Radio Music Competition for the youth, who are of the age between 16-24 years. The concert of winners is being organised at four stations. This concert even includes Hindustani as well as Carnatic Music artists.
Concerts under Software Plan Scheme by Regional Stations
Under Software Plan Scheme AIR stations organise two concerts in a year, in which one of the concerts is of folk music.
Mahatma Gandhi was scheduled to visit Kurukskhetra on 12th November 1947 and address 2.5 lakh Indian refugees camping there. But since he could not reach Kurukskhetra due to certain unavoidable reasons, an arrangement was made for Gandhiji’s live broadcast from All India Radio for them. Consequently, Gandhiji visited the Broadcasting House and addressed the refugees at 3.00 PM.
To commemorate 50 years of this historic visit of the Father of the Nation to All India Radio, a function was organised at AIR premises on 12th November 1997 at 3.00 PM. Later on, in the year 2001, the day was officially declared as Public Service Broadcasting Day.
Introduced in 1956, the Sarva Bhasha Kavi Sammelan (National Symposium of Poets) is an endeavor to provide a creative platform to national integration and linguistic harmony through mutual interaction and coordinated presentation of the best in contemporary poetry of all Indian languages. Its uniqueness is underlined by the fact that it is the only programme of its kind, wherein eminent poets 22 Indian languages now come together on one stage to offer their creative best. Poems in all these languages are presented by the poets themselves before an invited audience, followed by the rendering their Hindi versions translated by eminent poets of different languages. A two –hour recording of this programme is broadcast on the national network of AIR on 25th January, on the eve of the Republic Day at 10 P.M. At the same time, regional language versions of this programme are broadcast from concerned AIR stations. Thus, this programme reaches across the length and breadth of the nation.
In 2005, four new languages, namely, Dogri, Mathili, Santhali and Bodo were added to the list of languages taking the total to twenty two languages.
This programme is a reflection of the rich cultural and literary shared heritage of Indian languages, incomparable with any other programme in its status and grandeur.
Akashvani Annual Awards were instituted in 1974 to promote professional excellence and to bring out the best form the staff working at various radio stations and installations. Significantly some of the award winning programmes under this scheme have also won international acclaim. More…
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Memorial Lectures are organized by All India Radio every year in commemoration of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, India’s first President. The Lectures seek to thoroughly evaluate the nation’s political, social and cultural environment. The achievements and the future prospects of the country are also critically analyzed in these lectures. Noted scholars and thinkers of India deliver the Lectures on a subject of their choice before an invited audience. More…
This series of lectures was started in 1955 in the memory of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, India’s first Minister of Information & Broadcasting. Fondly remembered as the ‘Iron Man of India’. Sardar Patel made a remarkable contribution to nation building by means of consolidation of the princely States. A galaxy of eminent leaders, scientists and historians has adorned this podium in the past of deliver the Lecture. Some of the prominent names among them are Dr. C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. Zakir Hussain, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Shri Morarji Desai, Dr. Karan Singh, Shri Vasant Sathe, Dr. K. Kasthuri Rangan, Prof. M.G.K. Menon, Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, Justice (Smt.) Leila Seth, Dr.(Miss) Romila Thapar, Shri J. N. Dixit and Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
The recording of this lecture is broadcast on Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary i.e. 31st October on the national hook-up. More…
हिन्दी दिवस पर मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी प्रसार भारती का संदेश_दिनांक 14 सितम्बर2016
Akashvani National Artists
National Artists of ALL INDIA RADIO
In recognition of their outstanding contribution to the cause and promotion of Indian Music and also in view of their long association with All India Radio, the following 23 eminent artists of International repute were conferred the ‘National Artist’ honor by All India Radio in the year 2004.
| Sr. No. | Artists Name | |
| 1 | Pandit Bhimsen Joshi | Hindustani Vocal |
| 2 | Dr.Bhupen Hazarika | Folk Music |
| 3 | Ustad Bismillah Khan | Shehnai |
| 4 | Vidushi D.K. Pattammal | Karnatic Vocal |
| 5 | Vidushi Gangubai Hangal | Hindustani Vocal |
| 6 | Pandit Kishan Maharaj | Tabla |
| 7 | Vidushi Kishori Amonkar | Hindustani Vocal |
| 8 | Vidushi Lata Mangeshkar | Light Music |
| 9 | Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna | Karnatic Vocal |
| 10 | Vidushi M.S. Subbulakshmi | Karnatic Vocal |
| 11 | Vidwan M.S. Viswanathan | Composer |
| 12 | Pandit Manna Dey | Light Music |
| 13 | Dr. N. Ramani | Karnatic Flute |
| 14 | Vidwan Nedunuri Krishnamurthy | Karnatic Vocal |
| 15 | Vidwan Palghat R. Raghu | Mridangam |
| 16 | Pandit Jasraj | Hindustani Vocal |
| 17 | Pandit Ravi Shankar | Sitar |
| 18 | Ustad Sabri Khan | Sarangi |
| 19 | Vidushi Sharan Rani | Sarod |
| 20 | Vidushi T. Mukta | Karnatic Vocal |
| 21 | Prof.T.N. Krishnan | Karnatic Violin |
| 22 | Dr. T.K. Murthy | Mridangam |
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