The Government of Goa on November 19, 2025, issued the amendment to the older notification no. LS MISC/1915/96/Part-V/692, August 12, 2024, related to the implementation of the Deposit Refund Scheme.
The following has been amended, namely: -
• The amendment revises the definition of DRS Product, adding new exemptions such as takeaway food packages, low-value or low-volume packaged goods, milk flexible packaging, and products from registered micro-enterprises.
• The term “liquor” is now formally included in the scope of the scheme, and key terminology across clauses has been aligned, replacing “System Administrator” with “Scheme Administrator” and correcting internal references.
• Obligated entities shall deposit refunds into escrow and current accounts, and manufacturers must transfer deposit amounts for each DRS product to the designated account as notified.
• New compliance and enforcement provisions (Clause 10A & 10B) authorize inspection, verification, seizure, and return of products lacking a valid Unique Serialized Identifier (USI), subject to rectification within 15 days.
• A new penalty framework has been introduced, imposing fines up to ₹25,000 for non-compliance, tampering, or sale of DRS products without USI, with possible confiscation and additional legal consequences
[Notification no. - LS/MISC/1915/96/Part IV/1244]
