Team Herald

PANJIM: While Prime Minister, Maharashtra Governor and Chief Minister and India’s Vice President have called on Goa’s Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar at Lilavati hospital, to inquire about his health, Goa Chief Secretary Dharmendra Sharma had to make a crucial trip to get necessary instructions from the serving Chief Minister to conduct critical businesses of the House in Session, including convening of the cabinet meeting and presentation of the Budget. It is quite clear from these optics that Parrikar has no intentions of pulling back from governance and will run the State from his hospital room till he has to.

Sharma met the Chief Minister in his hospital room at the Lilavati hospital in Bandra in suburban Mumbai. Parrikar sat on an easy chair, and according to the Chief Secretary, “he seemed fresh, raring to go with his sense of humour intact”. Sharma said clear and precise instructions were given.

Chief Secretary Sharma’s trip to Mumbai was needed because the earlier letter which was sent to the Governor authorising Sudin Dhavalikar to table the Budget in the Assembly was a legislative authorisation. The administrative authorisation of processes leading up to the convening of the Cabinet meeting and tabling of budget and taking the Vote on Account, in CM’s absence wasn’t embedded in earlier note sent to Governor. “The transaction of business rules are specific and due authorisation is needed for the smooth conduct of all procedures needed to be done the day the Budget is placed and vote on account taken,” Sharma told Herald.

The CS will meet PWD Minister, “in charge” of government till the Chief Minister officially resumes work in Goa, Sudin Dhavalikar on Wednesday morning, to brief him on the meeting and go over the procedures of business, with due authorisation.