NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has said that radio is slated to become the most popular mediim of communication in the country, and the government is taking all steps to ensure there is no shortage of radio sets.

“In the times of undesirable trend of sensationalism and news corrupted with views, it is only All India Radio which has maintained purity, integrity and credibility’’ Naidu said.

Speaking at a function to mark fifty years of the Gulbarga AIR Station in Karnataka over the weekend, Naidu lauded the role played by the Kalaburagi AIR in empowering the people of the region through a series of useful programmes.

These include promoting Swachch Bharat Abhiyan through impact making jingles, Magha Sandesha which was a unique weather forecast programme by combining scientific method and the time tested traditional almanac prediction, providing a powerful platform for the effective implementation of MGNREGA, Yashaswi SSLC for improving the results of SSLC examinations etc.

The Akashavani Kendra has crossed a major milestone by successfully completing the most eventful 50 years in the historical Kalaburagi city in the north eastern part of Karnatak. Started on 11 November 1966, the erstwhile Gulbarga AIR station was dedicated to the nation by then Union I and B Minister Rajbahadur in the presence of then Karnataka PWD Minister Veerendra Patil who subsequently became the chief minister of the state.

In the last 50 years, the station has created a treasure trove of archival material of art, music, folklore, culture, history, and heritage.

A compact disc of vachanas rendered by the celebrated Hindustani vocalist of the region Pandit Siddaram Jambaldinni and selected from the Kalaburagi AIR archive was released to mark the occasion.

MPs Mallikarjun Kharge, Bhagawanth Khuba and Basawaraj Patil Sedam underlined the need for radio expanding its horizons and continue to maintain sanctity in the days of private channels increasingly becoming commercial and abhorring the real public cause.

AIR Director General F.Sheheryar released the souvenir `Kallarali Hovagi’ (Blossomming of a Stone).

The inaugural attraction was a youth choir (song and dance) on Swachch Bharat Theme by Omkar Nrutya Sadhana of Kalaburagi. The inauguration was followed by a number of cultural events.