Community radio station Alfaz-e-Mewat, FM 107.8, recently relocated its operations to the village of Naugaon in the Ramgarh tehsil of Alwar district, Rajasthan, India. The station is an initiative of the S.M. Sehgal Foundation, which works to empower and connect rural communities across India. Previously, Alfaz-e-Mewat operated in Nuh, Haryana.
At the station’s inaugural celebration on Sept. 12, 2023, Anjali Makhija, chief operating officer of the Sehgal Foundation, spoke about the role of Radio Alfaz-e-Mewat in supporting the foundation’s development initiatives, including improving availability, access to and quality of water; improving farming practices and farmer income; promoting local participation, especially of women, in government programs; empowering village youth, especially girls, with digital and life skills; and transforming school environments.
“After 12 years of dedicated broadcasting in Nuh, Haryana, Alfaz-e-Mewat is now going on air in Naugaon,” said Sehgal Foundation Principal Lead of Outreach for Development Pooja Oberoi Murada. “As we embark on this exciting new phase in our journey, we are committed to capturing some old and a lot of new voices from rural communities.”
The station’s name, “Alfaz-e-Mewat,” translates from Hindi as “Voices of Mewat,” referring to a historical region of Haryana and Rajasthan states in northwestern India.
Also joining in the celebrations were Sehgal Foundation trustee Jay Sehgal and CFO Ramesh Kapahi, as well as Sub-Divisional Magistrate Amit Kumar Verma, Sri Karan Narendra Agriculture University College of Agriculture Dean Suman Khandelwal, Krishi Anusandhan Kendra agricultural institute Zone Director Dr. G.L. Choudhary and Krishi Vigyan Kendra Naugaon farm science center head Dr. Subhash Yadav.
The Sehgal Foundation established the first Alfaz-e-Mewat station in Nuh, Haryana, in 2012 with support from India’s federal Ministry of Agriculture.
[Related: “How Community Radio Is Helping India”]
