Imphal: Nongpok Sekmai, a small village in the Thoubal district, celebrated the launch of its first community radio station, Wahong Radio, on Saturday.
Broadcasting at 90.0 MHz, the radio station was inaugurated by Dr. Arun Kumar Sarma, Director General of the North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR). Dr. Krishna Kumar, Technical Advisor at NECTAR, and Wangkhem Anand Singh, the founder of the station also attended the event.
The Community Radio station, implemented by the Centre for Rural Empowerment and Development Organisation (CREDO) under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MoI&B), Government of India, received technological sponsorship from NECTAR.
Dr. Sarma expressed his pride in seeing Nongpok Sekmai’s first community radio station go live, highlighting its focus on students and science. He encouraged the station’s officials to promote STEM education in collaboration with nearby schools to foster innovative ideas and nurture young talent.
In an interview with The North East Affairs, W. Anand, the founder of Wahong Radio, shared his motivation for establishing the station. As a native of Nongpok Sekmai, he felt a deep responsibility to uplift his village, especially given its rural and underdeveloped status. He hopes that the community radio station will play a vital role in developing and promoting the village and its surrounding areas.
The station will feature broadcasts by Manipur’s renowned community radio pioneer, Heigrujam James.
