PM Modi's grand outreach: All India Radio to strengthen Balochi language news service

Public broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) is planning to focus on its news service in Balochi language, a move which comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged concerns about the condition of people in Balochistan in Pakistan. Senior officials said that while AIR has a service in Balochi, which commenced in 1974, the broadcaster is now looking to augment the news bulletin component.

"The All India Radio (AIR) already has a service in Balochi language which airs various programmes and also news. But now an enhanced news bulletin is being planned in Balochi language," a senior official said. It is learnt that the duration of the present news bulletins is 10 minutes, which could be increased.

The move is significant as it comes in the backdrop of Modi's Independence Day speech in which he had brought up the issue of Pakistani atrocities on people of Balochistan and PoK. It was for the first time the disturbed areas in the control of Pakistan were mentioned by any Prime Minister during his Independence speech.

Earlier, DD News had also sent a team to Geneva to interview Brahumdagh Bugti, leader of Baloch Republican Party. The External Services Division (ESD) of All India Radio already broadcasts daily in 57 transmissions covering over 108 countries in 27 languages. Out of these, 15 are foreign including Balochi language.