Ailing Goa CM Manohar Parrikar’s return to India likely delayed

In a development which indicates further delay in ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's return to Goa, state Chief Secretary Dharmendra Sharma, through an office memorandum on Thursday, extended the tenure of a three-minister committee appointed by Parrikar to govern the state in his absence.

The office memorandum by Sharma extended the tenure of the committee, which was originally scheduled to expire on March 31 to April 30.

"The Chief Minister is pleased to direct that the arrangement made for the transaction of business of the government in his absence on medical grounds shall be continued for a further period to April 30," Sharma said in the memorandum.

The memorandum also enhances the project expenditure limit of the three member cabinet committee from ₹5 crore to ₹10 crore, while the cap for individual minister has been increased from ₹1 crore to ₹2 crore.

Parrikar is currently undergoing treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer in a New York hospital. He has been hospitalised on three occasions in Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital and the Goa Medical College here, ever since he complained of stomach pain on February 15 and was subsequently diagnosed for pancreatic cancer.

Before he left for the US on March 8, Parrikar had designated a three-member committee of ministers namely Francis D'Souza (BJP), Sudin Dhavalikar (MGP) and Vijai Sardesai (Goa Forward) to oversee day-to-day administration in his absence.

Soon after his departure, top BJP leaders in the state had said that he would be returning to Goa in April.

D’Souza, Goa’s Urban Development Minister, had reportedly said last week that Parrikar would be returning to India in another six to eight weeks, adding that he was responding well to treatment. According to a report on news website FirstPost, the minister had refused to speculate on the leadership change in the state in Parrikar’s absence.

D’Souza had said, “It's in bad taste and uncalled for... No one should discuss on leadership change when the CM is taking treatment. Let's wait for two more months. He will be back by then.”

With IANS inputs.

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