New Delhi, January 15: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has allowed private FM channel to broadcast All India Radio (AIR) news in English and Hindi. The facility will be available free of cost on a trial basis till May 31 this year. Any private FM broadcaster which intends to run the news bulletins will first have to register with the News Services Division: All India Radio on its website.

While broadcasting AIR news, private FM channels will have to give due credit to the All India Radio for sourcing their news. Private broadcasters can carry AIR news bulletins either simultaneously or deferred live by not more than 30 minutes. In case of deferred live, an announcement should precede that it is a deferred live broadcast. They will have to run news in an unaltered format. Mysterious Radio Signals Probably Coming ‘From Aliens’ Recorded by Canadian Astronomers.

Notably, the advertisements which are broadcast during news bulletins shall also have to be carried along with the news. As per the terms and conditions, during the trial period, private FM broadcasters may avoid broadcasting in disturbed or border and Naxal-affected areas. Information and Broadcasting minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said the move empowers citizens.

"This empowers me as a citizen. What else does a democracy need? We should be able to make our citizens aware and empowered. This was approved much before and I would like to congratulate the Information and Broadcasting Ministry officials for the nudge," he said. Rathore said the All India Radio and the Prasar Bharati were in discussion on costs.

"Our priority is awareness among citizens and secondary is revenue generation. We have made it available free of cost so that there are no further delays," he added. The minister said now that people will be listening to announcers from the All India Radio on different FM channels, it is also an occasion for the Prasar Bharati and the All India Radio to step up.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 15, 2019 12:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).