All India Radio news is the lifeline for Ladakh and the sparsely populated region has been dependent on AIR for the last half a century. For the residents of the Union Territory of Ladakh, AIR is the only source of day-long Ladakhi news. As corona virus has spread to various parts of the country, AIR has taken steps to create awareness among the public in Ladakh. It gives updates four times daily and has roped in experts to educate the locals about the pandemic.
Through its news, All India Radio, Leh, has been disseminating advisories by the Ladakh UT administration. It has increased the news duration by 11 minutes, exclusively for Covid-19 awareness in addition to the existing 19 minutes of news. Similarly, AIR, Kargil, has added 5 minutes to the day's last bulletin to spread awareness among the people about the corona virus spread. The news bulletin is now of 15 minutes. Despite limited resources, the news staff have doubled the output without availing themselves of leaves or offs. They are serving the Ladakhi society during the lockdown and inspiring and motivating the people through news.
For the past 49 years from Leh and from Kargil after the 1999 war, the country's public broadcaster has been serving the local requirements in the Ladakhi and Purgi languages. Be it the wars that the country fought, Leh cloudburst and now the combat against coronavirus, AIR news has been reaching every nook and corner of Ladakh and giving people a sense of assurance and authenticity. The AIR services are also utilised by the administration during emergencies. During the winter, when the whole region is under a thick blanket of snow and the communications are down in inaccessible areas, AIR comes to the rescue of people during health emergencies.
Forwarded by :- Shri. Jhavendra Kumar Dhruw.
jhavendra.dhruw@gmail.com