Goa Legislative Assembly

QUESTION

ANSWER

*WILL the Minister for Power be pleased to State:

By Shri. Ramkrishna Dhavalikar, 

Minister for Power;

(a)  

WILL the Minister for Power pleased to state whether it is a fact that power supply in Goa has become interrupted, expensive and consumer-unfriendly, particularly during peak months, and whether the Government will place before this House a time-bound action plan with accountability to ensure uninterrupted, affordable and quality power supply to domestic consumers of the State of Goa?

Sir,

No.

• State of Goa is providing 24x7 power supply. However, some interruptions in power supply occurs during monsoons due to heavy rainfall/ heavy winds/ lightning/ storms/ cyclones, etc. which mostly damages overhead electrical infrastructure thereby leading to disruption of power supply.
• The Department is continuously striving to provide quality power and achieve uninterrupted power supply across the state by taking up major infrastructure projects to strengthen its network.
• Further, it is to state that the Electricity Department, Government of Goa caters to the major demand of the state through long term, medium term and short term tied up power sources at the most reasonable rates possible. However, during peak hours, particularly during peak summer months, the power prices escalate as high as Rs.10/Unit on power exchanges due to high demand of power in the country. 
• Inspite of the above, the Electricity Department, Government of Goa offers one of the lowest power tariffs to its Domestic consumers in the country. More than 60% of domestic consumption falls within the first two slabs (0–100 units and 101–200 units), where the current tariffs are Rs. 1.95 per unit and Rs. 2.90 per unit, respectively. 
• To effectively manage situations mentioned at para 3 above and provide affordable power supply, the Department undertakes advance planning to meet the anticipated peak demand during summer months. This includes entering into short-term power purchase through Exchanges/ CERC approved Power Traders to the maximum feasible extent. 
• Further, the Department has also planned to add approximately 1,000 MWh of energy storage capacity at various substations in the state. These storage systems will be charged during off-peak hours and discharged during peak demand periods in grid, helping to reduce reliance on power procurement from energy exchanges during high-cost peak hours.
• The Electricity Department of Goa, Government of Goa, is also actively encouraging domestic consumers to adopt net metering by installing rooftop solar systems and availing subsidies provided by the State and Central Governments under various schemes. This initiative enables consumers to generate electricity for self-consumption and export surplus power to the grid, thereby making electricity relatively cheaper for themselves besides creating an opportunity to earn additional income.

Question

Answer

Will the Minister for Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs be pleased to State; 

By the Hon’ble Minister for Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs

the taluka-wise , the number of bids received, bids technically qualified, and bids finally accepted for food grain transportation tenders during the last tender cycle, Whether any single contractor or group of related contractors has been awarded transportation contracts in multiple talukas, and if so, the names of such contractors and talukas covered:       

Sir,

     For Stage-1- Transportation, Handling, Unloading and Stacking of Foodgrains from FCI, Depot Sada, Mormugao, Goa  to all the Taluka Civil Supplies Godowns, 03 bids were received;   only one bid was technically qualified.   As per the approval of Government single Bid was accepted and M/s M.B Hosmani & Sons, Plot No.137, APMC Yard, Amargol, Hubli (Single Contractor) was awarded the Work for all the Talukas. 

         For Stage-2-Transportation, loading, unloading and Stacking of foodgrains from Taluka Civil Supplies Godowns to the Door-step of all the Fair Price Shops in the State, 06 bids were received, and 05 bids were technically qualified.    As per the approval of the Government, L1 bidder M/s Shalimar Transport and Carting Contractor, Shalimar Function Hall, Rahemat Nagar, Parbhani, Maharashtra (Single Contractor) was awarded the work for all the Talukas. 

whether  the Department of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs has carried out any post-tender evaluation or impact assessment to determine           if the taluka-wise tendering system has enhanced competition and accountability, or has led to administrative fragmentation and monitoring challenges in the transportation of subsidised foodgrains:

    It has been seen that in both the tendering processes there has been very poor response from the bidders.  Taluka-wise tendering system has led to increase in documentation/paper work and  administrative burden   

the total cost incurred on food grain transportation under the earlier unified tender system, the total cost under the present taluka-wise tender system; and 

       Rs.49633685/- was incurred on foodgrain transportation under the earlier unified system for the financial year 2021-22. 

        Rs.58517657/- has been incurred under the present Taluka wise tender system for the financial year 2023-24.             

Whether the bifurcation has resulted in increased expenditure to the Government? 

No, however Taluka-wise tenders have resulted in administrative delays due to increase in documentation/paper work. 

QUESTION

ANSWER

WILL the Minister for Power be pleased to State:

By Shri. Ramkrishna Dhavalikar, 

Minister for Power;

(a) 

the average cost of electricity supply per household in Goa, including generation, transmission, distribution, and administrative expenses;

Sir, the average cost of electricity supply (ACoS) approved by Hon’ble Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (J.E.R.C.) for FY 2025-26 is Rs. 5.89/Unit

(b)

the current domestic tariff structure across the State, including slabs, fixed charges, surcharges, and additional levies, and whether these tariffs are justified in relation to actual supply costs;

The current domestic tariff structure across the state including slabs, energy charges, fixed charges, FPPCA charges, electricity duty and public lighting duty is provided in Annexure I and the tariffs are justified.

(c)

the total number of power outages, voltage fluctuations, and supply disruptions reported statewide during the current financial year, with details of duration, reason, and corrective action taken;

The details  of power outages, voltage fluctuations, and supply disruptions reported statewide during the current financial year are as per enclosed Annexure II.

(d)

the total complaints received from domestic consumers regarding billing, metering, or supply issues, and how many were resolved within the stipulated time frame; the measures implemented by the Department to reduce the electricity cost burden on small, marginal, and low-income households, including subsidies, tariff relief, or targeted schemes; and

The details of the complaints received from domestic consumers regarding billing, metering, or supply issues and their resolution are as below:

Further, the Hon’ble J.E.R.C. issues the Tariff Order for the State of Goa after due consideration of all relevant factors impacting both consumers and the distribution utility, with the objective of maintaining an appropriate balance between consumer affordability and the financial sustainability of the utility.

At present, low-income households are billed at a highly concessional energy rate of Rs. 1 per unit, along with a nominal fixed charge of Rs. 20/Connection/month. This concessional tariff is substantially lower than the approved ACoS of Rs. 5.89 per unit for FY 2025–26, thereby reflecting the continued commitment toward protecting vulnerable consumer categories while ensuring overall sector viability.

(e)

whether any audit, cost-benefit analysis, or efficiency review of household electricity supply has been conducted statewide, and if so, the findings; if not, the reasons for inaction; the time-bound plan of the Department to ensure affordable, uninterrupted, and reliable electricity to all households across Goa?

The Department files the True-Up Petition, Aggregate Revenue Requirement (ARR), and Tariff Petition before the Hon’ble Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) in accordance with the applicable regulatory framework and timelines.

In these petitions, all relevant data and parameters such as audited financial statements, power purchase costs, sales projections, transmission and distribution losses, capital expenditure, operational expenses and other statutory obligations are carefully considered to ensure a transparent and comprehensive determination of tariff.

The objective of this exercise is to maintain a prudent balance between consumer affordability and the financial sustainability of the utility while ensuring reliable and quality power supply.

The Hon’ble JERC undertakes a detailed prudence check of the submissions and issues its final Tariff Order, ensuring that the approved tariff reflects regulatory principles, efficiency norms, and the larger public interest.

Further, the State of Goa is providing 24x7 power supply. However, some interruptions in power supply occurs during monsoons due to heavy rainfall/ heavy winds/ lightning/ storms/ cyclones, etc. which mostly damages overhead electrical infrastructure thereby leading to disruption of power supply.

The Department is continuously striving to provide quality power and achieve uninterrupted power supply across the state by taking up major infrastructure projects to strengthen its network.