All India Radio to launch Bangla service

India is set to strengthen its relations with Bangladesh using the air waves. To reach out to the people in the neighbouring country, President Pranab Mukherjee will launch All India Radio’s (AIR) special Bangla service, Akashvani Maitree, on June 28.

Buoyed by the success of the Land Boundary Agreement and the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal Motor Vehicle Agreement signed between the two nations during the PM’s visit to Dhaka, the Centre hopes the radio service will take forward its ‘act east’ policy.

Akashvani Maitree will be a successor to AIR’s Special Bangla Service that was launched during the 1971 Liberation movement of Bangladesh. It was aired till 2010.

“The channel has the potential to take forward the PM’s vision of ushering in good relations between neighbours. No other broadcaster has initiated such a venture where people from two countries can create content together,” said Fayyaz Shehryar, AIR’s Director General.