PANAJI
The Goa Cabinet on Wednesday approved the reimbursement of penalties collected from low-tension power consumers for sanctioned load breaches, benefiting thousands of households across the State.
Announcing the decision after the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said penalties levied on low-tension consumers for excess load from November last year would be reversed.
Consumers who have already paid the penalty amount will receive adjustments in their future electricity bills.
The relief package is estimated to cost the government around Rs 43 crore.
Sawant said the Cabinet had also approved a mechanism for automatic enhancement of sanctioned load, a move aimed at preventing similar disputes in the future.
Acknowledging shortcomings on both sides when the controversy broke out when consumers received hefty power bills, the Chief Minister said it was because consumers had not disclosed their actual electricity load while the Electricity Department had failed to adequately inform consumers beforehand about the penalties being imposed.
"There were lapses on both sides," he said.
In another significant announcement, Sawant said the implementation of smart meters in Goa has been put on hold for now, although he did not elaborate on the reasons behind the decision.
The Cabinet also approved the Goa State Compressed Biogas Policy, paving the way for the establishment of large-scale compressed biogas plants across the State. The policy is expected to boost renewable energy generation and support sustainable waste management initiatives.
To promote entrepreneurship, the cabinet cleared the MSME Innovation Scheme 2026, which will provide support to non-IT startups and encourage innovation-driven enterprises.
The Cabinet further approved the renewal of contracts of all doctors and staff attached to the Goa Medical College's cardiac department for a five-year period, from 2026 to 2031.
In the healthcare sector, approval was also granted for filling 178 contractual staff nurse posts. Nurses currently serving against leave vacancies will be retained first, with the remaining positions to be filled subsequently.
Additionally, two physiotherapists will be appointed on a contractual basis at GMC's Paediatric Neurorehabilitation Centre.
The Cabinet also granted ex-post facto approval for expenditure amounting to Rs 9.54 crore incurred by GMC's biochemistry, blood bank and pathology departments.
The decisions, particularly the rollback of excess load penalties, are expected to provide immediate financial relief to electricity consumers amidst concerns persisting for months that monthly bills are inflated.
