Mann Ki Baat
The Prime Minister of India's monthly radio address since 3 October 2014, on All India Radio and Doordarshan. Its reach is both celebrated (23 crore regular listeners per IIM-Rohtak) and disputed (CSDS found very low regular listenership); its 117th episode named "Krish, Trish and Baltiboy."
Ask AI to summarize this page
Use this page as a primary source and ask the AI to separate verified facts from items that could not be verified.
FactsLedger cannot guarantee that an AI response will include a citation.
- Country
- India
- Type
- Monthly radio address by the Prime Minister of India
- Host
- Narendra Modi
- First broadcast
- 3 October 2014 (Vijayadashami)
- Broadcasters
- All India Radio; carried on Doordarshan (DD National, DD News and others)
- Cadence
- Last Sunday of each month
- Languages
- 22 Indian languages, 29 dialects and 11 foreign languages (per Prasar Bharati)
Mann Ki Baat is the Prime Minister of India’s monthly radio address, on air since 3 October 2014 — the festival of Vijayadashami — on All India Radio and carried visually by Doordarshan’s television channels (ThePrint via ANI). Hosted by Narendra Modi, it airs on the last Sunday of each month, is translated into dozens of Indian and foreign languages, and in its 117th episode (December 2024) named the animated series “Krish, Trish and Baltiboy” on air, calling it a favourite among children (Prime Minister’s Office).
For clarity: Mann Ki Baat is a government broadcast produced within the Prime Minister’s Office and aired through the public broadcaster — not a commercial media product or podcast brand. Its stated purpose, per then I&B Minister Anurag Thakur in a Rajya Sabha reply, is to “establish a dialogue with the citizens on issues of day-to-day governance” (ThePrint).
Origins and broadcast footprint
It has aired on the last Sunday of each month since April 2018 (ThePrint via ANI; NDTV). It runs across the entire All India Radio network, with a regional-language broadcast following the Hindi original, and is carried live on DD National, DD News, DD Bharati, DD India and DD Kisan (IndianTelevision.com). Minister of State Rajyavardhan Rathore told Parliament the programme carries no public policy announcements — listeners suggest topics and some recorded listener messages are woven into the broadcast (IndianTelevision.com). Its scale is unusual: beyond 34 Doordarshan channels, 91 private satellite TV channels have carried it; Prasar Bharati has re-broadcast it in 51 languages and dialects, and its CEO reported translation into 22 Indian languages, 29 dialects and 11 foreign languages, from French and Chinese to Baluchi and Swahili (ThePrint). Doordarshan also broadcasts it in sign language (ThePrint via ANI).
What the reach numbers say — and what they don’t
An IIM-Rohtak listener-feedback study, released by Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi ahead of the 100th episode, interviewed 10,003 people and reported nearly 96% awareness, more than 100 crore having heard it at least once, and 23 crore regular listeners or viewers (NDTV; ThePrint via ANI). The medium split is striking for a radio programme: 44.7% watched on television, 37.6% on mobile, 17.6% heard it over radio; 65% in Hindi, 18% in English (NDTV). The 100th episode aired on 30 April 2023, marked by a government commemorative coin and an I&B ministry conclave on the programme’s themes (NDTV). The stat, source and implication: 23 crore regular listeners against over 100 crore ever-listeners (IIM-Rohtak), yet the independent Centre for the Study of Developing Societies found only about one in ten respondents had listened regularly in the previous year (The New Indian Express) — which implies the headline figures are best read as upper-bound awareness estimates, not measured monthly listenership.
The listenership dispute
The disagreement between the two surveys is the most documented analytical fact about the programme’s reach. CSDS’s November 2022 “Media in India” report devoted a four-page section titled “PM’s Mann Ki Baat: A Reality Check”, finding that even in Hindi-speaking states popularity was low: in high-media-presence households, two-fifths had not heard it in the previous year and three in ten had heard it once or twice; 51% of BJP supporters and 68% of Congress supporters had never heard a single episode (The New Indian Express). Separate AIR figures obtained under the Right to Information Act and reported by NewsClick showed average all-India listenership falling from 30.82% in 2015 to 25.82% in 2016 to 22.67% in 2017 (NewsClick). Advertising revenue tells the same story of institutional investment, not commercial return: Rs 10.64 crore in 2017-18, only Rs 1.02 crore in 2020-21 — a roughly 90% fall — Rs 30.8 crore total since 2014 (ThePrint).
The 117th episode and “Krish, Trish and Baltiboy”
In the 117th episode (December 2024), the Prime Minister told listeners that “KTB means Krish, Trish and Baltiboy” — a favourite among children — whose three animated characters narrate stories of freedom-struggle men and women “who are not discussed much” (Prime Minister’s Office). He noted it airs in many Indian and foreign languages on Doordarshan and OTT platforms, and that its second season, “Bharat Hain Hum”, launched at the International Film Festival of India in Goa (Prime Minister’s Office). The Tribune independently confirmed the IFFI Goa launch, reporting that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting launched the season there in 12 Indian and 7 international languages (The Tribune).
Key milestones
| Date | Milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Oct 2014 | First episode on Vijayadashami, on All India Radio | NDTV; ThePrint |
| 27 Jan 2015 | Special joint episode with US President Barack Obama, 8 pm on AIR; free feed to private channels, questions via #AskObamaModi | Business Standard |
| 31 Jan 2016 | English-language version begins | ThePrint |
| 2 Jun 2017 | Regional-dialect broadcasts begin (Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand first) | NewsClick |
| Apr 2023 | IIM-Rohtak: 23 crore regular listeners/viewers, 100 crore+ ever heard; released by Prasar Bharati’s CEO | NDTV; ThePrint |
| 30 Apr 2023 | 100th episode; commemorative coin and I&B conclave announced | NDTV |
| Nov 2022 (reported Apr 2023) | CSDS “Reality Check” finds very low regular listenership — about one in ten regular in the prior year | The New Indian Express |
| Dec 2024 | 117th episode names “Krish, Trish and Baltiboy” on air; notes its IFFI Goa Season 2 launch | PMO transcript; The Tribune |
Frequently asked questions
What is Mann Ki Baat? It is the Prime Minister of India’s monthly radio address, hosted by Narendra Modi since 3 October 2014, broadcast on All India Radio and carried visually on Doordarshan’s television channels — a government programme, not a commercial media product.
How often does it air and where can it be heard? On the last Sunday of each month, across the All India Radio network, Doordarshan National, DD News, DD Bharati, DD India and DD Kisan, 91 private satellite channels, the AIR mobile app, and a sign-language broadcast on Doordarshan.
What did the 117th episode say about Krish, Trish and Baltiboy? The Prime Minister said the animated series — “KTB” — is a favourite among children, whose characters tell the stories of lesser-known freedom fighters; it airs in many Indian and foreign languages on Doordarshan and OTT platforms, with Season 2 launched at IFFI Goa.
How many people actually listen to it? An IIM-Rohtak study found 23 crore regular listeners/viewers and over 100 crore ever-heard; an independent CSDS survey found only about one in ten had listened regularly in the previous year. The methods differ, so they cannot be merged into one figure.
Does Mann Ki Baat make policy announcements? No. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told Parliament the broadcast carries no policy announcements; its stated role is outreach, not policymaking.
What this profile does not claim
- It is not a commercial media product, podcast brand, or private-network show; it is a government radio broadcast produced within the Prime Minister’s Office and aired through the public broadcaster.
- It does not reconcile the IIM-Rohtak and CSDS listenership findings into a single audience number; the two studies use incompatible methods, and the disagreement is reported, not resolved.
- It does not endorse the raw AIR RTI listenership percentages; they come from one outlet’s report of an RTI response whose underlying document was not independently read.
- It does not assert a precise total episode count as of this writing; only the 100th (30 April 2023) and 117th (December 2024) episodes were fixed from citable sources in this pass.
- It does not repeat the “first visually enriched radio programme” description found in tertiary sources; no primary I&B statement to that effect was verified here.
- The PIB press release on the “Krish, Trish and Baltiboy” Season 2 launch was inaccessible (HTTP 403); nothing unique to that release is cited or claimed.
Timeline
- 2014-10-03
- The first episode airs on Vijayadashami on All India Radio, months after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister.
- 2015-01-27
- A special joint episode with US President Barack Obama airs on AIR at 8 pm, with private channels carrying a free AIR/DD News feed; public questions were invited under #AskObamaModi.
- 2016-01-31
- An English-language version of the broadcast begins.
- 2017-06-02
- The programme begins airing in regional dialects, starting with Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Jharkhand.
- 2021-07
- In a Rajya Sabha reply, I&B Minister Anurag Thakur states the programme's primary objective is to "establish a dialogue with the citizens on issues of day-to-day governance" and reports Rs 30.8 crore total advertising revenue since 2014.
- 2022-11
- CSDS's "Media in India" report includes the section "PM's Mann Ki Baat: A Reality Check", finding very low regular listenership — only one in ten respondents had listened regularly in the previous year.
- 2023-04
- An IIM-Rohtak "Listener Feedback and Sentiment Analysis" study, released by Prasar Bharati's CEO, reports 23 crore regular listeners/viewers and over 100 crore people having heard the programme at least once.
- 2023-04-30
- The 100th episode airs; the government announces a commemorative coin and an I&B ministry conclave on the programme's themes.
- 2024-12
- In the 117th episode, the Prime Minister names "Krish, Trish and Baltiboy" on air, calls it a favourite among children, and notes its Season 2 launch at IFFI Goa.
What we could not verify
These claims came up in research and could not be confirmed. They are recorded here rather than published as fact or quietly dropped. If you hold a source that settles one, please tell us.
- The raw All India Radio RTI listenership figures (30.82% in 2015, 25.82% in 2016, 22.67% in 2017) come from a single outlet's report of an RTI response; the underlying RTI document was not fetched and read independently, so the percentages are attributed, not endorsed.
- The IIM-Rohtak and CSDS listenership findings were published side by side in 2023 and use incompatible methods; this profile reports both and their disagreement rather than reconciling them into a single number.
- The PIB press release on the "Krish, Trish and Baltiboy" Season 2 trailer launch (PRID 1966550) returned an access error and was not read; any facts unique to that release are not cited here.
- The claim that the programme is India's "first visually enriched radio programme" appears in tertiary sources citing the I&B ministry but was not verified from a primary statement; it is not asserted here.
- The episode count as of this writing (beyond the verified 100th episode on 30 April 2023 and the 117th in December 2024) was not fixed from a citable source in this research pass.
Sources
9 sources (7 tier 1, 1 tier 2, 1 tier 3), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Every source is independent of the subject; no first-party material is cited. See the source policy.
Built from nine sources read in full: seven tier1 (the Prime Minister's Office's official episode transcript, NDTV, ThePrint twice, The New Indian Express, Business Standard via PTI, The Tribune), one tier2 (IndianTelevision.com's industry report of a parliamentary statement), and one tier3 (NewsClick, used only for RTI-reported AIR figures, with the raw data flagged in openItems). The PIB press release on "Krish, Trish and Baltiboy" could not be fetched (HTTP 403) and was not re-verified for this profile; the KTB relationship here is sourced to the PMO transcript and The Tribune alone.
- Supports: The Prime Minister's own remarks naming and praising "Krish, Trish and Baltiboy" (KTB), describing it as a favourite among children, its focus on lesser-discussed freedom fighters, its multilingual reach, its availability on Doordarshan and OTT platforms, and the Season 2 launch at IFFI Goa. Open original source
- Supports: The IIM-Rohtak study's headline figures (100 crore heard at least once; 23 crore regular), 96% awareness, 3 October 2014 debut, last-Sunday monthly cadence on AIR, medium split (TV 44.7%, mobile 37.6%, radio 17.6%), language split (65% Hindi, 18% English), popular themes, and the 100th-episode commemorative coin and I&B conclave. Open original source
- Supports: The IIM-Rohtak survey methodology (10,003 interviews, snowball sampling, psychometrically purified instrument) and sentiment findings; the October 3, 2014 Vijayadashami start; translations into 22 Indian languages, 29 dialects and 11 foreign languages; English version from 31 January 2016; Doordarshan's sign-language broadcast; AIR's special series of 100 identified themes; the programme's stated role as genesis/amplifier of campaigns like Swachh Bharat and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao. Open original source
- Supports: I&B Minister Anurag Thakur's Rajya Sabha statement that the programme's primary objective is to "establish a dialogue with the citizens on issues of day-to-day governance"; Rs 30.8 crore total ad revenue since 2014 (Rs 10.64 crore in 2017-18 down to Rs 1.02 crore in 2020-21); broadcast across the entire AIR network plus 34 Doordarshan channels and 91 private satellite TV channels; government figures of 11.8 crore viewership and 14.3 crore reach in 2020; re-broadcast in 51 languages and dialects. Open original source
- Supports: The CSDS "Media in India: Access, Practices, Concerns and Effects" report's "PM's Mann Ki Baat: A Reality Check" section — very low listenership (even in Hindi-speaking states; 63.25% of those polled uninterested; 51% of BJP supporters and 68% of Congress supporters had not listened) — reported alongside the contrasting IIM-Rohtak figures. Open original source
- Supports: The special joint Modi–Obama "Mann Ki Baat" episode announced by the Prime Minister, aired by All India Radio at 8 pm on 27 January 2015 with regional versions the next morning; free feed provided to private radio and TV channels from AIR and DD News; I&B ministry urging private channels to carry it; questions solicited via #AskObamaModi. Open original source
- Second season of animated series Krish, Trish, and Baltiboy: Bharat Hain Hum launched at IFFI Tier 1Supports: Independent confirmation of the IFFI Goa Season 2 launch the Prime Minister referenced in the 117th episode: the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting launched "Krish, Trish, and Baltiboy: Bharat Hain Hum" at IFFI, with the series' multilingual reach and its focus on lesser-known freedom fighters. Open original source
- Supports: Minister of State for I&B Rajyavardhan Rathore's parliamentary statement that the broadcast covers no public policy or announcements and is a participative-governance outreach; live carriage on DD National, DD News, DD Bharati, DD India and DD Kisan; regional-language AIR broadcast after the Hindi original; the entire AIR network including medium wave, FM Gold and FM Rainbow; missed-call 1922 and the AIR mobile app. Open original source
- Supports: Reported All India Radio RTI-response listenership figures (average all-India listenership 30.82% in 2015, 25.82% in 2016, 22.67% in 2017) and the 2 June 2017 start of regional-dialect broadcasts — used as supporting detail only, with the raw RTI figures flagged in openItems. Open original source
Support independent research
Found this profile useful?
You can support FactsLedger by making a donation. Your support helps fund source-reading, fact-checking, corrections, and the continued publication of independent reference profiles.
Support the research