Nearly 71,000 beneficiaries will be given Doordarshan dish-to-home (DTH) receiver sets for free in several border areas and Maoist-affected districts of Maharashtra, a senior official said.
The DTH sets will allow the beneficiaries to watch more than 150 channels, including those offered by public service broadcaster Doordarshan, the official said. The programme has been launched by the ministries of information and broadcasting and home affairs, said Sandeep Patil, special IG (anti naxal operation) and nodal officer for Left Wing Extremism matters (Maharashtra).
The official said they have identified the beneficiaries and the data collection and verification process will go on till August 30. From September, the free DD receiver sets will be distributed to the beneficiaries, most of whom live in remote areas.
This scheme will help the common people of such areas understand more about government initiatives. Today, they do not know properly how the government is helping them and how central schemes are offered to empower them economically and socially, the official said.