Jaya government scraps free TV scheme

CHENNAI: The Jayalalithaa government in Tamil Nadu today scrapped another pet scheme of the Karunanidhi regime by ending free colour TV distribution on which over Rs 3,600 crore was spent in the past five years.According to Jayalalithaa, for the nearly 1.60 crore TV sets, people paid Rs 4,000 crore annually for cable connection, which business is controlled by (Karunanidhi's grandnephews) Kalanidhi and Dayanidhi Maran (who own Sumangali Cable Vision) and (Karunanidhi's grandson) Durai Dayanithi.Thus people paid more for the cable connection, Jayalalithaa, who has already announced that cable services in the state will be nationalised, told the Assembly.Replying to the debate on the motion to thank Governor Surjit Singh Barnala for his address, she said the orders for around 7 lakh colour TV sets to be procured under the sixth phase of the scheme have been cancelled.Over one lakh colour TV sets already procured in the sixth phase would be distributed to orphanages and anganwadis among others, she said.Maintaining that the distribution of free colour TVs to beneficiaries lacked proper planning, the AIADMK chief said the sets were distributed not on the basis of applications received.Instead, a DMK government-appointed committee had overseen the process, "which resulted in people coming in cars" to get a TV set that cost a little over Rs 2,100 per unit, she said.