TN Govt to procure 30 lakh TVs for '07-'08 for free CTV scheme

Chennai, July 3 (UNI) The Tamil Nadu government today decided to procure 30 lakh colour TVs for the third phase of distribution under the Free CTV Scheme, one of the populist poll promises that catapulted the DMK-led DPA to power in the May 2006 Assembly polls.

A decision to this effect was taken at the eighth meeting of the MLAs Committee chaired by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi at the state Secretariat here.

The TVs would be procured through international open competitive bidding, an official release said.

To ensure transparency in procurement and distribution, the committee, comprising of representatives of various political parties in the state Assembly, decided to call for international bidding in August. The bids would be finalised by September for the Free CTVs scheme for the year 2007-08.

The technical guidelines followed in 2006-07 for procuring the sets would be the same for procuring them for the year 2007-08, it added.

The release said the committee had also resolved to complete the distribution of 25 lakh CTVs procured under the second phase of the scheme by November.

A total of 12,18,897 CTVs were distributed in the districts and 10,16,940 sets handed over to the beneficiaries till April 24 this year. The balance 25 lakh sets would be distributed by the end of Novemmber.

Committee members, including, Local Administration Minister M K Stalin (DMK), Congress Legislature Party Leader D Sudarsanam, PMK Floor leader G K Mani, C Govindasamy (CPI-M), V Sivapunnyiam (CPI), K Selvam (DPI), H Abdul Basith (IUML) and Jaganmoorthy (Puratchi Bharatham).

UNI