Goa Legislative Assembly

*WILL the Minister for Social Welfare be pleased to state:

a) the taluka-wise details of Atal Asra Yojana implemented in Ponda and Tiswadi Talukas during the last three financial years and the current financial year, with the number of applications received, approved, rejected and pending;
b) the village-wise and taluka-wise details of beneficiaries who have been sanctioned assistance under the Scheme, along with the amount sanctioned and actually released to each beneficiary;
c) the details of applications presently pending in Ponda and Tiswadi Talukas, including the date of application, amount involved and the specific reasons for pendency and the time taken by the Department for processing such applications;
d) the details of applications rejected during the said period, along with the specific reasons for rejection; whether the applicants have been provided an opportunity for correction, reconsideration or appeal; whether the Department has conducted physical verification/inspection of beneficiaries and houses/works undertaken under the Scheme; if so, furnish the details of such verification and cases where the assistance was not utilised or the work remained incomplete; and
e) the year-wise funds allocated, sanctioned, released, utilised and unutilised under the Scheme specifically for Ponda and Tiswadi Talukas during the last three financial years and the current financial year, along with reasons for any non-utilisation or surrender of funds; whether the Government has undertaken or proposes to undertake a special identification and assistance drive for eligible families in Ponda and Tiswadi Talukas who have not yet benefited under the Scheme; if so, furnish the details thereof?

*WILL the  Minister for Power be pleased to state:

a) whether the Government is aware of the large number of complaints from domestic electricity consumers across Goa regarding abnormal increase in electricity bills following the installation of Digital/Smart Electricity Meters; if so, furnish the total number of complaints received during the last three financial years and the current year, Taluka-wise and Constituency-wise; whether the Department conducted any pilot project, field testing, laboratory testing, calibration, technical validation or third-party verification of the Digital/Smart Meters under local conditions in Goa before awarding the tender and implementing the project; if so, furnish copies of the reports, findings and recommendations;
b) whether any Technical Committee, Expert Committee or Independent Evaluation Committee was constituted to examine and certify the suitability, accuracy and reliability of the Digital/Smart Meters prior to their installation; if so, furnish the composition of the Committee, terms of reference, recommendations and copies of the reports submitted; whether any independent Impact Assessment or Comparative Study has been carried out to evaluate the effect of the Digital/Smart Meters on electricity consumption, billing patterns, consumer grievances and the financial burden on households by comparing bills before and after installation; if so, furnish the findings thereof;
c) whether any Digital/Smart Electricity Meters have been found to be defective, inaccurately recording electricity consumption, or generating inflated electricity bills; if so, furnish the number of such meters detected and replaced, the action taken against the supplier, contractor or responsible officials, and the details of consumers affected, including the amount of excess billing identified, the manner in which such consumers have been compensated or granted relief by way of refund, bill adjustment, waiver of delayed payment charges or any other settlement, together with the total financial liability borne by the Government or the Electricity Department. 
d) furnish the complete details of the procurement of Digital/Smart Electricity Meters, including the tender process, names of agencies, contract value, technical specifications, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)/ Central Electricity Authority (CEA) certifications, quality assurance reports, warranty obligations, maintenance responsibilities, payment milestones and performance guarantees; and
e) whether the Government proposes to constitute an independent expert committee or engage a National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) - accredited testing laboratory to conduct a State-wide technical audit of the installed Digital/Smart Meters pending such verification, suspend recovery of disputed excess bills, levy of delayed payment charges and disconnection of electricity supply in disputed cases; if so, furnish the details thereof?

*WILL the Minister for Drinking Water be pleased to state:

a) whether the Government is aware that several villages, towns and urban areas across Goa continue to experience acute drinking water shortages, irregular water supply and low water pressure, causing severe hardship to residents, particularly during the summer and peak tourist seasons; if so, furnish the details of the affected areas over the last three years;
b) whether the Government has conducted any scientific assessment on the impact of rapid urbanisation, construction of high-rise buildings, commercial establishments, tourism-related infrastructure and increasing population on the existing drinking water supply system; if so, furnish the findings district-wise; whether the Government has carried out any assessment of the additional demand for drinking water created during the tourist season by hotels, resorts, homestays, commercial establishments and other tourism-related activities;  whether any separate Water Management Policy has been framed to ensure that the drinking water requirements of local residents are not adversely affected; if so, furnish the details thereof;
c) furnish the details of all measures undertaken during the last five years to augment drinking water availability, including construction of new reservoirs, augmentation of water treatment plants, laying of new transmission pipelines, reduction of transmission losses, rainwater harvesting projects, groundwater recharge programmes, desilting of water bodies, check dams and interlinking of water sources, along with the expenditure incurred and the present status of each project; whether the Government proposes to prepare a comprehensive Water Security Master Plan for Goa for the next 25 years considering population growth, climate change, tourism, industrial demand and future urban expansion; if so, furnish the timeline and salient features thereof;
d) the village-wise details of long-term drinking water projects proposed or under implementation to ensure uninterrupted potable water supply to rural areas, including the estimated cost, source of funding, present stage of implementation and expected date of completion; and
e) whether the Government proposes to introduce regulatory measures linking planning permissions for high-rise buildings, large residential townships, hotels and commercial projects with the availability of sustainable drinking water resources and mandatory water conservation measures, including rainwater harvesting, sewage recycling and treated water reuse; if so, furnish the details and the proposed policy framework?

*WILL the Minister for Public Works be pleased to state:

a) the Constituency-wise, Village Panchayat-wise and work-wise details of all road constructions, reconstruction, widening, strengthening, improvement, resurfacing and hot-mixing works undertaken by the Public Works Department in Ponda Taluka from 1st April, 2022 till date, in a tabular format, indicating:
i. name/title of the tender;
ii. constituency;
iii. village panchayat;
iv. actual/final cost incurred;
v. length of road (in kilometres);
vi. nature of work (construction/hot-mixing/strengthening/widening /reconstruction/resurfacing);
vii. the date of completion; 
viii. the present status of the work; and
b) the total expenditure incurred on road construction and hot-mixing works in Ponda, Priol, Madkai and Shiroda Constituencies of Ponda Taluka during the above period, furnishing the constituency-wise and financial year-wise details?

*WILL the Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs be pleased to state:

a) the total quantity and value, discipline-wise, of sports equipment, accessories and other sporting assets procured by the National Games Organising Committee, the Sports Authority of Goa and the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs for the conduct of the National Games, along with their present location and custodial authority; whether the Government has formulated any policy, guidelines or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the distribution, allotment, utilisation, maintenance and monitoring of such equipment after the conclusion of the National Games; if so, furnish copies thereof;
b) whether any Committee, Monitoring Authority or Evaluation Committee has been constituted to scrutinise and approve the allocation of such sports equipment to recognised Sports Associations, educational institutions, sports academies or any other eligible organisations; if so, the composition of the Committee, its powers, the number of meetings held and decisions taken; the discipline-wise details of sports equipment distributed till date, indicating the name of the recipient Sports Association/Institution; the quantity and value of equipment allotted; the date of allotment; whether the allotment is permanent, temporary or on a returnable basis; the duration of such allotment wherever applicable; and the terms and conditions governing such allotment;
c) the eligibility criteria, application procedure and evaluation mechanism adopted by the Department for releasing sports equipment to Sports Associations and other eligible institutions and whether all recognised Sports Associations have been given an equal opportunity to apply for such equipment; the discipline-wise details of sports equipment which continue to remain in Government custody, specifying the storage locations, present condition, maintenance measures undertaken and the reasons for non-distribution of such equipment; whether the Department itself is presently utilising any of the National Games equipment for coaching programmes, competitions, training camps or other Government activities; if so, the discipline-wise details of such utilisation, the locations the equipment is presently deployed and the frequency of its use;
d) whether any physical verification, stock audit, utilisation audit or third-party inspection of the National Games equipment has been conducted after the completion of the Games; if so, furnish copies of the audit reports, details of discrepancies noticed, shortages, damages, unserviceable equipment and the action taken thereon including recovery or fixation of responsibility wherever applicable; and
e) whether the Government proposes to formulate a transparent digital inventory management system with periodic inspections, geo-tagging, online tracking and annual public disclosure of the status and utilisation of National Games equipment to ensure optimum use of public assets; if so, the details and timeline for implementation; the total expenditure incurred towards maintenance, storage, repair and insurance of the National Games equipment since the conclusion of the Games, together with the budgetary provisions made for their upkeep and future utilisation?