Panaji, March 29 (IANS): 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 Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore, while the cap for individual minister has been incresed from Rs 1 crore to Rs 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.