PANAJI:
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said that the implementation of the proposed Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS) will take another six months to one year, as the State government plans to first undertake extensive consultations and awareness campaigns.
Informing the State Legislative Assembly during a Calling Attention motion, Sawant clarified that the government has not yet notified any deadline for rolling out the scheme and that the current phase is focused only on awareness and stakeholder engagement.
“The government has not notified the date of implementation as yet. We are presently in the awareness phase, and it will continue for six months or even up to a year. The scheme will be implemented only after that,” the Chief Minister said.
Sawant explained that the government intends to initially launch the scheme on a pilot basis with glass bottles before expanding it to other materials. The system, he said, will be implemented through the existing garbage collection network and introduced gradually in phases.
He also assured the House that the government will hold detailed presentations for MLAs as well as village panchayats across Goa to explain the functioning of the scheme prior to its rollout.
“Even if the implementation happens after a year, we will begin with glass bottles. The excise sector has agreed to come on board but has sought some time,” Sawant said, adding that the government wants to ensure proper awareness and preparedness before introducing the scheme statewide.
