Karunanidhi’s family had earned Rs 20,000 crore in free T.V. Distribution.

Karunanidhi’s family had earned Rs 20,000 crore in free T.V. Distribution.

The distribution of free colour television sets, started by the previous DMK regime to woo the poor, was on Friday [10-6-2011]scrapped by Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on the grounds that the scheme was intended to boost the profits of the cable TV company run by the Maran brothers.


Tamil Nadu C.M. Jayalalithaa said the DMK government had procured colour TVs at an average price of Rs 2,265, spending about Rs 3,687 crore in all for 1.6 crore units. Although people got free colour TV sets, they had to pay the cable charges from their pocket to view different channels.


Jayalalithaa said in all, people paid Rs 4,000 crore a year for cable connections, a business which is dominated by Karunanidhi’s grand-nephews Kalanithi and Dayanidhi Maran who own Sumangali Cable Vision and Karunanidhi’s grandson Durai Dayanidhi. She alleged that if Karunanidhi’s family had earned Rs 4,000 crore a year, in five years it would amount to Rs 20,000 crore. “This scheme is not a people’s welfare scheme. The scheme was brought by the DMK for their personal benefit.”


The 2.27 lakh colour televisions, already procured by the earlier regime but which are yet to be distributed, would be given to schools, orphanages and primary health centres, Jayalalithaa said. The orders for around seven lakh more television sets to be procured under the sixth phase of the scheme had been cancelled.


It is our request that the present Chief Minister must take proper decision and arrangement before distributing any freebies to public.