MUMBAI: All India Radio (AIR) has signed a radio partnership MoU with the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) for coverage of scheduled tribes related schemes.

The agreement was signed on the launch of the ‘Tribal Forest Dwellers Empowerment Scheme’ by the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs & Panchayati Raj V Kishore Chandra Deo for the economic upliftment of schedule tribe forest dwellers.

Speaking on the occasion, Deo said that this is a significant scheme for economic development of scheduled tribes. He said the Forest Rights act recognized and regularized the preexisting rights of ST forest dwellers and under this scheme, financial assistance will be provided to them at concessional rate for their empowerment. He also said that the MoU between NSTFDC and AIR will help to impart information about scheduled tribe related schemes.

The radio partnership will cover events organized by NSTFDC for socio economic empowerment of scheduled tribes. The broadcast will be in 23 languages and 146 dialects across the country. The coverage will be in the form of a radio report with in-house and news reel programmes. With AIR having its foot prints across the country and covering more than 99 per cent of population, the partnership will facilitate creation of larger awareness about programmes of NSTFDC throughout the country.

Present on the occasion were Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Ranee Narah, Secretary of the Ministry Vibha Puri Das, NSTFDC CMD Gur Saroop Sood, AIR DG General L M Mandloi and Ministry joint secretary Dr Sadhana Rout.