The Union Cabinet met on Thursday and condoled the demise of Environment Minister Anil Dave, saying the country has lost a veteran and distinguished leader.
"The Union Cabinet has expressed profound sorrow at the sad demise of Dave today (Thursday). The country has lost a veteran and distinguished leader who held many eminent positions," a statement said after a special Cabinet meeting.
The meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, extended its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family on behalf of the government and the entire nation.
The Cabinet adopted a resolution which said that Dave was a river conservationist, environmentalist and social worker.
"He was a prolific writer, authoring several books in Hindi and English. He was the founder of Jan Abhiyan Parishad and also edited the monthly magazine Charaiveti and JAP, Jan Abhiyan Parishad Journal," it said.
The resolution said Dave was also a trained pilot, who flew a Cessna 173 aircraft over river Narmada from the source to mouth, and also completed a 1,312-km raft journey along the entire length of the river.
"He also organised staging of a play on Chhatrapati Shivaji, 'Janata Raja', which has been staged 1,000 times, including a performance at Wembley in London," it said.
Dave was the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He passed away on Thursday morning following cardiac arrest.
He was 61 and a bachelor.
--IANS
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