Muzaffarpur, Jan. 3: Radio is not just an entertainment medium. It can enhance professional skills as well.

Taking this into count, the Agriculture Technology Management Authority (ATMA) has planned to set up a community radio station to teach the farmers of Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Vaishali the nuances of scientific farming.

The radio station will come up at Tirhut Agriculture College, Pusa.

ATMA has approached the Union ministry of information and broadcasting for setting up the station. It has applied for a licence, too.

Once on-air, the community radio station will broadcast bulletins in local dialect twice a day to enhance the knowledge of farmers. The duration of each bulletin would be at least 45 minutes.

Farmers within the 20km radius of the radio station would be able to listen to the bulletins. Peasants of Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Vaishali districts would be directly benefited.

Project director of ATMA Ram P. Thakur told The Telegraph: “The governing body of the ATMA, chaired by the district magistrate of Muzaffarpur, Anand Kishore, has approved the move to establish the community radio station at Pusa.”

Kishore said the governing body of ATMA has decided to provide Rs 18 lakh to the principal of Tirhut Agriculture College at Pusa in Samastipur for setting up the community radio station.

The principal of the college, Jawahar Thakur, said the institution would provide a space of 400sqft for setting up the radio station. It will also provide uninterrupted power supply to it.

The college would also constitute a committee of agriculture scientists for value addition to the bulletins to be aired on the community radio.