BJD reiterates special category status demand, says Odisha faced 99 cyclones in 100 years

New Delhi: The Odisha ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has reiterated its special category status demand for Odisha in the Rajya Sabha.

BJD Rajya Sabha Sasmit Patra today raised the special category status demand for Odisha saying that it has been facing different kinds of natural calamities.

Odisha has faced around 99 cyclones in the last 100 years, said Patra adding that the 1999 super cyclone, cyclone Phailin and Cyclone Hudhud has caused massive damages in different sectors.

He further said that it takes long time and demands huge amount of money for restoring the infrastructures after such natural disasters. Due to this, the State ruling party led by BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been repeatedly writing letters to the central government demanding the special category status for the State.

However, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her visit to Odisha to attend post Budget discussions in February this year had clarified that there is no proposal to accord Special Category Status to Odisha as demanded by the BJD.

Sitharaman had said that the Finance Commission has made a recommendation to the Centre saying that no state will be accorded the special status.

The Central government introduced the special category status in 1969 with the aim to benefit certain backward states having hilly terrains, strategic international borders and economic and infrastructural backwardness.

Till date only 11 states like Assam, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Uttarakhand and Telangana have been given special category status.