India’s public broadcaster All India Radio has opened an FM station in the city of Rae Barely in Uttar Pradesh, the constituency of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The station had been planned for eight years.

A small studio complex has been built to produce local programmes.

But the station plans to relay AIR’s FM Rainbow station from Lucknow, about 70 kilometres away.

It will also air news and agricultural programming in the Avadhi language.

The total cost of providing the new station is estimated to reach US$147,000 (Rs 90 lakh).