LED bulbs to cut govt’s subsidy bill: CM

Panaji/Colva: Distribution of free LED bulbs across the state evoked a good response as people queued for the ‘energy savers’ amidst chaotic situations in many places while the BJP took full mileage of the central government scheme.
Defence minister Manohar Parrikar’s visit to Margao for the launch of the Centre’s Ujala scheme appeared to be soft opening of the election campaign.
Parrikar went to great lengths to explain to the people gathered that his and now chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar’s government have fulfilled much of the promises made in the 2012 election manifesto despite the acute financial crunch caused by the stoppage of mining.
He went to say that while the Shah Commision had stated that loss to the state due to illegal mining was 35,000 crore, his calculation indicated that the loss was around 4000 to 5000 crore. Out of this he said that the BJP government in Goa has been able to recover around 1,800 crorer despite the fact that there was ban on mining.
“If mining was on they would have recovered more,” he said.
Parrikar said that his promise to increase tourist footfalls has also come true as last year’s figures indicate 5.5 million tourists visited Goa.
The defence minister stated that “governance took a jolt” when he left for Delhi to take up his present assignment and that is because he got only three days to hand over his responsibilties to his successor Laxmikant Parsekar. “That continuity in governance was sort of lost. It is coming back on track now and we should be able to deliver what we promised.
He urged the people to start using LED bulbs as it is going save them lot of money on power bills while giving the state surplus power.
Reacting to criticism from the opposition over his frequent visits to Goa, Parrikar said he travels to Goa once in 10 days and that considering the sudden increase in footfalls, it is difficult for people to get air tickets to Goa.
He also said that after Lal Bahadur Shastri, Narendra Modi is the only Prime Minister who has inspired people to change their thinking.
After launching the state’s Jyotirmay LED bulb scheme at Panaji, chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Friday said the use of LED bulbs will help government save around 5.5 crore on power subsidy.
He said the government is buying power at the rate of Rs 5.10 per unit and supplying it to consumers at 2.92 per unit, with a subsidy of 3 per unit.
Stating that the Centre has provided LED bulbs at a price of 72 per piece, Parsekar said the state government has decided to give three bulbs free of cost to consumers.
He informed that the actual cost of the bulb ranges between 300 and 350. “People seeking more bulbs can acquire those from electricity department offices by paying a sum of 72,’’ he said.
“I will appeal to the people of state to use more LED bulbs so that the power saved can be better utilized for industrial purpose,” he added.
He also asked the people who had purchased bulbs under the Ujala scheme to approach the power department for refund.