MUMBAI: Like any other community radio, Mandakini Ki Awaz also caters to its community needs along with entertaining them. There is one interesting initiative that the station has initiated in Rudraprayang, Uttarakhand for all the artistes in the region. The station is recording music or cover of various songs by various artiste based in Rudraprayang, which are later on played on the station along with its live programs.

Mandakini Ki Awaz (MKA) founder Manvendra Singh Negi said, "We have seven core members but there are many artistes and listeners who contribute and assist in developing content for the community radio. Currently, the core team will only host the show." The team had gone through a training of over three months which was conducted with the help of a public trust People’s Power Collective (PPC). The radio will reach-out to 200 remote villages at Rudraprayang. "We have not measured the exact number of people it will reach but we are assuming it should be around 1.5 lakh people, "said Negi.

The station has six hours of live programming including recorded songs by famous and budding artistes in the region. Negi added, "Our station will not face copyright issue because we are not playing music of any famous artistes. We are promoting the musicians in Rudraprayang by recording them and play music their music on-air.

He further added, "We are recording Bhajans, folk music, voices and many other musical works that hold relevance among the community. This recording and mixing is an on-going process."

The station covers issues related to health, music, public sanitation, livelihood, and community well-being.

The station was launched on 21 September with Mandakini Ki Awaz jingle which was followed by AR Rahman’s Vande Mataram. Then radio jockeys presented stories relevant to the community radio stations. The testing process of the station started on 16 August. The launch took place in Mandakini river valley amidst of 400 people from 54 villages.

The station operates between 7-9 am, 12.30-1.30pm and 4.30-6.30 pm in Garhwali and Hindi languages and additional programs on Sunday. If needed the timing of the programming will be extended. The station is operated by local community based organisation Mandakini Ki Awaz Kalyan Sewa Samiti.