Amethi in Uttar Pradesh is the latest city to get an FM station from public broadcaster All India Radio (AIR).

The new channel, which will run the FM Rainbow brand, was inaugurated on Wednesday by constituency MP Rahul Gandhi, also the vice-president of the Congress party.

Programmes will air from 6am to midnight daily, serving a radius of 30 kilometres on 103.1FM.

News bulletins will be relayed from the city of Lucknow.

Controversy surrounded the moving of the Amethi FM transmitter meant for another city.

India’s main opposition party accused AIR of currying favour with Gandhi, who could possibly be India’s next prime minister after elections in May.

The new channel in Amethi takes the public broadcaster’s offering to 412 stations nationwide.

Two other AIR stations have launched in the state over the past three months.