Panaji, Nov 13 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that when he was Gujarat Chief Minister, he would carefully study pro-poor schemes formulated by his then Goa counterpart Manohar Parrikar.

"As Chief Minister of Gujarat, when Manohar Parrikar was the Chief Minister of Goa, I used to carefully study the schemes Manohar Parrikar implemented and he used to understand the issues of poor people. Today, Goa has schemes like the Griha Aadhar scheme, the Dayanand Social Security scheme for senior citizens, the Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana, which no other state in the country has," he said.

The Prime Minister was speaking during a government function in Goa, where he also digitally laid the foundation for two major projects, including a greenfield civilian airport.

"The BJP government in Goa has brought political stability to the state. I congratulate Manohar Parrikar for bringing about a certain political culture to Goa. He had to face a lot for that, had to lose friends, but he took Goa to greater heights," Modi said.

"Choosing a stable government is in the hands of the people, the Goans understood it, that's why I congratulate the people of Goa," Modi said. Goa is going to polls in early 2017.

"When I meet world leaders today, they all talk highly of Goa. The respect of India increases because of Goa," he added.