Radio Aravali @ 90.4 FM

Contact Person: Mr. Manish Yadav

Broadcasting Language: Haryanvi, Rajasthani, Hindi & English

Genesis: Radio Aravali was established in 2018 by Dakshini Haryana Sanskritik Manch. The CRS was established with a vision to preserve the local culture, and create awareness amongst the local community’s farmers about the latest developments in the field of agriculture and its allied sectors. The CRS aims to drive a positive change in the target community through its interventions.

Thematic Focus: Radio Aravali strives to preserve the local culture and folklore. The CRS disseminates knowledge and information related to agriculture, and also focuses on gender equality, health and hygiene, education, and legal awareness. 

Sustainable Development Goals: Radio Aravali is committed to achieve the following SDGs:

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

SDG 4: Quality Education

SDG 5: Gender Equality

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

The healthcare and agricultural experts help the CRS on topics related to these specific areas, and develop community-centric programmes which directly address the prevalent concerns.

Major Projects Undertaken: Radio Aravali was part of the TB Challenge and other health-related initiatives in association with SMART. The CRS took part in the Factshala project, the media literacy initiative in association with DataLEADS, and different educational initiatives with NCERT and CIET.  

 Sustainable Strategies: Radio Aravali receives financial and technical support from its parent organisation, Dakshini Haryana Sanskritik Manch. The CRS receives grants from agricultural departments under the ATMA scheme. It is also empanelled with DAVP and DIPR, Haryana. 

Number of listeners and Potential Outreach: The CRS covers as many as hundred villages in the border areas of Haryana and Rajasthan. The outreach potential of the CRS is nearly six lakh people and it has an active listener base of nearly 1,50,000 listeners. 

Major concerns in the Community: The local farming community does not have access to the latest equipment nor do they possess knowledge about the latest agricultural practices. This affects their crop selection and production, often resulting in low income.The youth in the community are affected by unemployment and can be helped through skill-development initiatives.

Primetime Programmes: The primetime programmes of Radio Aravali include Krishi Charcha, Aravali ki Pathshala, Ragni, Manan, and Lokgeet. Krishi Charcha is an agriculture-based programme for the local farming community in which relevant and region-specific topics are discussed to address the concerns of farmers. Aravali ki Pathshala is an educational programme. Manan is a programme that promotes a healthy lifestyle in the community. Ragni and Lokgeet are both cultural entertainment programmes. 

Innovations in format or any other way: It is important to reach out to the farmers to share crucial information and messages related to agriculture. This can be effectively done only through the means of narrowcasting as the farmers spend most of their time in the fields and seldom tune in to radio programmes. Narrowcasting also helps establish a sense of trust between the CRS and the community members. 

Core Team: The core team at Radio Aravali has ten members. It includes the Station Director, Station Manager, two agricultural experts, two healthcare experts, and four other team members.