FM voices rise along the LAC: Border radio stations connect, inform, and counter misinformation in Himachal and Uttarakhand

New Delhi, May 12. Radio has found renewed purpose in India’s high Himalayan borderlands. Along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, new FM stations are transforming how remote communities in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand receive information – using local dialects, hyper-local content, and steady broadcasts to bridge connectivity gaps and quietly counter misinformation.

According to a report in The Tribune, over the past 18 months, two stations have begun operating in Kinnaur and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, while three are active in Uttarakhand at Joshimath, Pithoragarh, and Harsil. Broadcasting for 12 to 14 hours a day, these stations focus on everyday needs: fruit crops, snowfall forecasts, hyper-local weather, tourism, education, and career guidance.

In terrain where mobile networks are unreliable, FM radio has become a dependable lifeline. The broadcasts also share updates on government welfare schemes, public health initiatives, and Army recruitment opportunities, while fostering a direct connect between local residents and security forces.

The initiative is supported by the Indian Army under its Sadbhavana outreach and funded through the Vibrant Villages Programme, which provides the FM infrastructure and operational backing.

Four additional stations are planned in Uttarakhand, including at Gunji near the India-Nepal-Tibet tri-junction and Dharali near Gangotri. Two more are slated for the lower hills at Lansdowne and Ranikhet.

In Himachal Pradesh, the stations – ‘Voice of Spiti’ and ‘Voice of Kinnaur’ – serve the apple-growing belt. Farmers receive real-time market prices, guidance on grafting techniques, and advice on pest control for apple and dry fruit cultivation. The stations also broadcast alerts about landslides and heavy snowfall that frequently disrupt the Hindustan-Tibet Road.

A similar public service role is played in Uttarakhand, where the stations sit along major pilgrimage routes to Gangotri, Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib, and the annual Kailash Mansarovar Yatra to Tibet. Weather updates, road conditions, and landslide warnings are regularly aired for the benefit of both residents and pilgrims.

Programming is delivered in local tongues – Kinnauri in Himachal, and Garhwali and Kumaoni in Uttarakhand – interspersed with folk songs, oral histories, and community voices. Women, youth, and farmers are given dedicated space on air.

At Joshimath, near Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, the station ‘Tarana’ broadcasts in Garhwali and Hindi, spotlighting agro-tourism, sustainable travel, handicrafts, and mountain farming. Harsil’s station, on the Gangotri route, prioritises timely updates on weather and road access. In Pithoragarh, on the way to Lipulekh Pass and Tibet, the station – taglined ‘Hill se Dil Tak’ – focuses largely on agriculture and horticulture.

Together, these FM stations are doing more than transmitting sound across valleys. They are strengthening community resilience, improving access to vital information, and reinforcing India’s presence in some of its most remote border regions.