Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. L. Murugan has said that the Ministry is inviting applications for starting new private FM Radio stations in 11 cities in Tamil Nadu where there is no private FM stations so far.

Addressing at a function in Chennai, the Minister said that after the historic third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, in the first 100 days the government has allocated Rs.15 lakh crore for development projects. The Minister said that about 1500 old laws which were hindering ease of doing business have been removed and new policies and laws have been formulated for the growth of industries. The Minister said that 3 lakh crores has been allocated for infrastructure development in the country.

He highlighted that in the last 100 days alone, the Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a number of people welfare schemes to promote all-round development so that all sections of the society in the country can move forward. All this has laid the foundation for India to become a Viksit Bharat by 2047, he added.

He further said that with the approval for new private FM stations, auctions for a total of 234 private FM stations across the country had started on October 14, out of which 11 cities in Tamil Nadu.

The Minister said that it was our Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat programme that made radio popular again in the digital age. He added that the media and entertainment sector plays a vital role in the economy of the country. He mentioned the recent amendment to the Cinematograph Act to protect the film industry from piracy.

Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune are the pioneering centres of post-production of many Hollywood films. It is happening in these cities, he said. He also mentioned the recent approval of the Union Cabinet for setting up of a National Centre of Excellence for AVGC in Mumbai

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sanjeev Shankar, Joint Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Ministry, said that in Tamil Nadu, Coonoor, Dindigul, Karaikudi, Karur, Kanyakumari, Neyveli, Pudukottai, Rajapalayam, Thanjavur, Tiruvannamalai and Vaniyambadi will have private FM channels. The bidding process has started for starting new private FM radio stations of three channels each in these cities. The last date to apply is November 18, 2024.

Joint Secretary Shri Sanjeev Shankar said that the winners of the auction will be announced in January 2025. For more details about the auction and application visit https://mib.gov.in/broadcasting/fm-radio-phase-iii-0

          

     

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