NEW DELHI: A total of 189 new All India Radio (AIR) installations are being set up under an approved scheme under the 12th Plan, including 100 Watt FM Relay Centres.

These 189 new installations also include 86 installations continued from 11th Plan to 12th Plan and 103 new installations proposed in the 12th Plan.

They include 72 stations in the northeastern states and Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting (MIB) Rajyavardhan Rathore denied in Parliament that there had been slow progress in setting up transmitters.

He said as far as AIR was concerned, there were 431 AM/FM Transmitters in AIR Network three years earlier which had grown to 596 AM/FM Transmitters at present.

He said radio programmes are available to 92 per cent of the area and 99.20 per cent population of the country.

Steps taken up for expansion of broadcasting coverage of AIR programmes all over the country include setting up of 241 new FM Transmitters of various capacities throughout the country and replacement/ upgradation of existing 111 FM Transmitters have been approved under the 12th Five Year Plan; and 21 radio channels (Programmes) of AIR have been made available through DD Direct plus DTH platform (Ku-band) and these can be received through a set top box all over the country including uncovered areas.