The Union Cabinet formally approved the agriculture ministry's proposal for launching a TV and radio channel on agriculture for dissemination of farming technology along with setting up of 'kisan' call centres to answer farmers' queries in local languages. Both will be inaugurated by Prime Minster Atal Bihari Vajpayee on January 21.

The proposed call centres would initially operate through toll-free telephones bearing the number 1551 from eight selected locations covering all states and regional languages. To be manned by agriculture graduates, these centres would function at three levels.

The first tier would provide immediate replies to farmers' queries. Unanswered questions would be transferred to specialists at the second tier.

Questions that still remained unanswered would be referred to experts at the third tier for reply through phone, post or personal visit by the extension functionary.

The call centres would be located at Mumbai, Kanpur, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Delhi and Kolkata. Each centre would cover more than one state.

The staff will reply in the languages spoken there. The number of centres would be expanded subsequently.

The TV and radio channels would cost the exchequer Rs 17 crore (Rs 170 million) in the current year and Rs 315.28 crore (Rs 3.152 billion) in the 10th Plan period. Programmes from IGNOU would cost additional Rs 11.58 crore (Rs 115.8 million) this year and Rs 47.02 crore (Rs 470.2 million) in the 10th Plan.

Agriculture minister Rajnath Singh said the Kisan channel would be transmitted from Doordarshan, cable-satellite channels of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and FM radio stations.

Doordarshan would telecast one-hour programmes daily six days a week. IGNOU would transmit one-hour programmes four times every day.

The 96 FM radio stations which covered rural areas would start broadcasting one-hour agricultural programmes on all days of the week from next month, Singh said.

Doordarshan covered 89 per cent of the country through 829 low power transmitters (LPTs) with range of 15 km each and 166 high power transmitters (HPTs) with 60-70 km reach. The agriculture programmes to be aired by Doordarshan would be area-specific and in local language.

The scheme would conduct impact evaluation and viewership research and make need-based corrective actions.