In Telangana, ten cities and towns from the state are among the 234 uncovered areas in the country for rolling out private FM radio. The 10 cities and towns in the state include Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Kothagudem, Mahbubnagar, Mancherial, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Ramagundam and Suryapet.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal yesterday for conducting the 3rd batch of ascending e-auctions for 730 channels in 234 new cities with an estimated reserve price of 784.87 crore rupees under private FM radio phase III policy. The Cabinet also approved the proposal to charge Annual License Fee of FM channels as 4 per cent of Gross Revenue excluding Goods and Services Tax (GST).

This will be applicable for 234 new cities and towns. The private FM Radio rollout in 234 new cities and towns is expected to fulfil the unmet demand for FM radio and bring new and local content in mother tongue. It is also expected to lead to creation of new employment opportunities giving a boost to local dialect and culture and ‘vocal for local’ initiatives.