Pune Akashwani News Department Will Not Be Closed, Assures Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Pune: Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation and Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol, on Wednesday, said the news department of Pune Akashwani will continue to function, putting an end to speculation about its possible closure.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mohol said he raised the issue with Union Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw during the latter's visit to Pune for the inauguration of railway development projects and the launch of new train services on Wednesday.

According to Mohol, Vaishnaw assured him that "under no circumstances will the news department of Pune Akashwani be closed". He also clarified that there is no proposal before the central government to shut the news department.

Mohol said he informed the Union minister about the concerns expressed by citizens and conveyed the public's demand to retain the news department permanently. He noted that Pune Akashwani has a long history and enjoys the trust of listeners across Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and other parts of the state.

Quoting Vaishnaw, Mohol said the central government is working to modernise and strengthen Akashwani centres across the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the government's focus is on making Akashwani more effective, modern and people-orientated while strengthening local news and public outreach.

Mohol added that Pune Akashwani has a rich journalistic and cultural legacy and continues to be a trusted source of information for around 1.25 crore listeners. He thanked Vaishnaw for assuring that the Pune Akashwani news department will remain operational and urged people not to believe rumours about its closure.

He said the centre is committed to preserving, modernising and strengthening Akashwani centres across Maharashtra and the country.