New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Wednesday launched six new FM radio stations on education. These will be in addition to the 31 radio stations the university already has.
The new stations, launched by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Mohan Jatua, will be operational in Agra, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Srinagar, Trichy and Thiruvanaathapuram.

Gyan Vani, as the FM radio stations are called, aim to enhance and supplement the teaching-learning process by reaching across to learners through a low-cost, popular mass medium using interactive formats.

IGNOU Vice Chancellor V.N. Rajashekharan Pillai said: “Through Gyan Vani, students can call a toll free number and get counselled on different educational matters from experts of National Council of Education, Research and Training (NCERT) and NGOs working in the field.”

The first of the Gyan Vani stations was launched in 2001.

IGNOU also celebrated a decade of the launch of its educational TV channel Gyan Darshan Wednesday.

A collaborative effort of IGNOU, Prasar Bharati, ministry of human resource development and ministry of information and broadcasting, Gyan Darshan is a bouquet of four channels on vocational and technical education, higher education and sustainable development.

Said Ravi Kant, director of Electronic Media Producing Centre (EMPC): “While we are very happy about the launch of the new stations, we appeal to the minister that we be waived of the carriage fee for the transmission of the channels on DTH.”