Union Minister Jitendra Singh today asked Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to immediately restore All India Radio's Yuva Vani service, which was closed earlier this month, in Jammu.
Singh, in a letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar, took serious exception to the previous government's decision to discontinue the service without assigning any convincing reasons.
He said that Yuva Vani, an All India Radio programme, was launched in Jammu in 1973 to encourage young talent and provide an outlet for youth broadcasters and youth artists.
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Over the years, it had proved to be highly popular among radio listeners in general and youth in particular, Singh said in the letter.
He said that the earlier government's decision was politically motivated and sends out a negative signal at a time when there is an all-out effort to provide fair governance without any discrimination.
Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, said a large number of youth got opportunity to exhibit their artistic talent from that region through Yuva Vani programmes.
Further, this programme has been able to create a sense of belongingness among the people and reinforce integration of the local population into the national mainstream, said Singh, who is Lok Sabha member from Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur constituency.
The Yuva Vani service in Jammu was discontinued from June 1.
