Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday said that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had called him to enquire about the economic impact of the Supreme Court’s decision to cancel 88 renewed mining leases in Goa recently.
Speaking at a function in the city, Mr. Parrikar said that when the SC judgment was announced Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not in the country and that he got a call from the PMO asking about the possible economic impact of the verdict.
“I was asked to prepare a report, and if need be meet [PM]. This was a message from his office," Mr. Parrikar said.
Describing Mr. Modi as a visionary leader with "feet on the ground", Mr. Parrikar said that even while Mr. Modi rubs shoulders with world leaders, he had the humility to enquire about the status of Goa’s open defecation-free (ODF) programme.
"It is not easy to get a leader of that vision. I have seen him, how he works... I was always his supporter only because he was doing things, but when I saw him from close, I saw what is the concept of [his] vision," Mr. Parrikar said.
"Observe it closely. On one hand, he was delivering a speech in Abu Dhabi. He was addressing an international audience, international leadership. Today his ranking is among the top three [international leaders]. But his feet are on the ground," Mr. Parrikar said.
"On one hand, he is a world leader and on the other hand, he also worries about ODF in our State. I will get calls from his office, or he will write a letter or speak to me and enquire about Swachh Bharat," Mr. Parrikar further said.
Mr. Parrikar also reiterated that Mr. Modi had a special corner in his heart for Goa and that the State should make the most of it.
"He remembers Goa as a lucky mascot or maybe for some other reasons. We should take advantage of that," Mr. Parrikar said.
'Stay clean'
At the function on health, Mr. Parrikar turned his attention to the lack of hygiene, especially by street vendors hawking outside the State's biggest medical facility — Goa Medical College hospital, and said that poor people should also stay clean and that it costs less to stay clean.
"Let us be clean, neat. Poor persons should also stay clean. I think it doesn't cost. In fact, it costs less... Simple things can be done," Mr. Parrikar said.
Later, on the sidelines of the function, he said that views of all MLAs, political parties and other stakeholders of mining would be taken into account in order to decide on the future course of action over resumption of mining in the State.
On February 7, the Supreme Court cancelled all iron ore mining leases in Goa which were renewed by the State government in 2015 and ordered that the mining tracts should be leased afresh, to new licencees after obtaining new environmental clearances.
The order also directed that all ore extraction activity on the cancelled leases should cease by March 15.