PANAJI
The free water scheme for non-commercial domestic consumers from September 1 announced on Sunday in his Independence Day speech will actually end up saving as it will encourage people to be frugal and ensure consumption remains under the 16,000 litres cap, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Monday.
"Water is a necessity for the people. (We are giving) 16,000 litres of water per month for free. Two things will happen after this. People will get free water and people will not waste water. They will try to stay in the 16,000 (litres) bracket," Sawant said, trying to explain the election year announcement.
In terms of cost, one cubic meter of raw water treatment costs about Rs 15 to the government and it is currently supplied at Rs 2.15 per cubic meter to consumers, according to Sawant.
In a bid to offset criticism of the 'freebie' and its costs, Sawant said people are unaware that it costs the government Rs 15 to treat one cubic meter of raw water and that Rs 2.15 is charged.
"We were charging Rs 2.15 per cubic meter," Sawant said indicating that water was being subsidised to the extent of nearly Rs 12.85 per cubic meter.
The chief minister urged judicious use of water to ensure cumulative household usage remains under 16,000 liters per month, pointing out that average water requirement per person is just 100 litres per day.
The announcement in an election year with Goa scheduled to go to the polls in February-March 2022, has received is fair share of critic as a gimmick for votes.
It comes weeks after Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, whose Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is on a high visibility campaign in the run-up to its foray in the 2022 polls, promised free power to domestic connections up to 300 units and also 24x7 uninterrupted supply.
