At a cost of 9.70 crore rupees, Prasar Bharti purchased 20,000 DTH/TV sets and supplied these free of cost to J&K State Government for installation at far-flung villages and border areas which were not covered by terrestrial transmitters/ cable networking. It was also intended that in militancy infested areas, ordinary people were not able to monitor the current situation in the country and keep themselves fully apprised of ground situation. The PAG has revealed in his report that the purpose of the scheme has been defeated because in most of the districts not a single set had been installed. In the rest of them only less than 30 per cent of allotted sets were installed. The Government has awoken to the irregularity after a lapse of six years and the Chief Secretary has called a meeting of all the 18 District Commissioners of the State before the end of May to submit status report on the installation of the DIH/TV sets in their respective districts. At the time of supplying these sets free of cost to the State, the Union Ministry of Information had provided detailed instructions of where these sets should be installed along with all accessories. Generally these had to be installed at uncovered areas (where no DD terrestrial signal reaches) and Anganwadis, Government Schools (from primary to higher secondary), Public Health Centres, village Panchayats, Corporate Societies, Associations run by local people working for peace and harmony in the insurgency hit areas, those villages which have Village Defence Committees, Youth Clubs and Tribal Autonomous Councils were eligible for distribution.
Six years have gone by when the scheme was floated. What has been the utility of investing nearly ten crore of rupees when the scheme never materialised? The Deputy Commissioners should be asked to explain why they failed to implement the scheme. They have to be made answerable for the failure. What accountability measures will the Government suggest is to be seen? It is to be reminded that we had taken up the matter in these columns on May 5 and it is only after three weeks that the Government has awoken from slumber. The culture of sitting on the centrally sponsored schemes has to be changed.
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