Goa, Oct. 3 -- Power Minister Sudin Dhavlikar on Thursday defended the recent electricity tariff hike, calling it "reasonable" and stressing that Goans still pay lower rates compared to most other States.

Dhavlikar explained that tariff revisions are not in the State government's control but are fixed under Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) guidelines framed by the Union Ministry. "When the State invests Rs 5,000-6,000 crore in power infrastructure, recovery through tariff adjustment is necessary," he said.

The increase will be phased. Consumers using more than 400 units will see a 4 per cent hike, while households consuming below 400 units-mostly middle-class families-will face only a 2 per cent rise.

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