Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated 91 new 100W FM transmitters of All India Radio (AIR) across the country and said such “democratization” of technology would empower every Indian to help the country realise its full potential.

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Addressing Chief Ministers, Union Ministers, MPs, MLAs and others via video conferencing, he said the expansion of the FM network would serve 85 districts and two crore people of the nation, who were still outside national information services, and deprived of timely updates on subjects like agriculture and pricing of farm produce

“It is important that no Indian should feel lack of opportunities if India has to rise up to its full potential,” the Prime Minister said. Making modern technology accessible and affordable was key to this, he said.

The Government provided optical fibre to all villages, he said, and data cost was kept at the lowest so as to ease access to information. This gave a new push to digital entrepreneurship in villages. UPI helped small businesses and street vendors to access banking services. Small industries are selling products across the country with e-services, the Prime Minister said.

PM Modi said the new transmitters would not just provide an additional communication link to people but also bring them together. This was typical of all Government efforts for enhancing connectivity. While physical connectivity was increased by expanding road, rail and air networks, there were equal efforts at increasing cultural and intellectual connectivity.

For this, he said, the people honoured with Padma awards in the last nine years were real heroes in the fields of art and literature, and not recommended by some quarters. He said his Government had selected the awardees on the basis of their work in the service of society and the nation. This was known to the Padma awardees attending the ceremony, he said.

The government encouraged cultural connectivity by giving a boost to tourism by facilitating pilgrimages and travel to religious places in different parts of the country, the Prime Minister said. The increasing number of people visiting the tourist places was proof of greater cultural connectivity in the country, he said.

PM Modi gave examples of museums related to tribal freedom fighters, Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Panchteerth, PM Museum and the National War Memorial and said that such initiatives have given a new dimension to intellectual and emotional connectivity in the country.

The Prime Minister underscored the emotional connection of his generation with radio.“For me, there is an added happiness that I have a relationship with radio as a host too,” he said, referring to the upcoming 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat.

He said: “This kind of emotional connect with countrymen was possible only through the radio. Through this, I remained linked to the strength of the country and the collective power of the duty among the countrymen.”

He said Mann Ki Baat had helped initiatives like Swachh Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, and Har Ghar Tiranga become people’s movements. “Therefore, in a way, I am part of your All India Radio Team,” the Prime Minister said.

He said the tech revolution taking place in the country in the past few years has given radio, especially FM, a new form. Internet came but did not harm radio and in fact, gave it new innovative outlets through podcasts and online FM.

“Digital India has not only given new listeners to the radio but a new thought process as well,” the Prime Minister. A revolution can be witnessed in every broadcasting medium. He said services of DD free dish, the largest DTH platform in the country, are enjoyed by 4.30 crore homes where real-time information is reaching their doorsteps in rural areas and near the border.

Education and entertainment are reaching those sections of society that were without them for decades, the Prime Minister said. “This has resulted in removing the disparity between different sections of society and providing quality information to everyone,” he said. The Prime Minister said that FM transmission will take place in all languages and especially in the regions with 27 dialects.