Bhubaneswar: Reiterating his demand CM Naveen Patanik today wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded ‘Special Category State’ status for Odisha by raising Central negligence issue again.
Citing the devastation caused by cyclonic storm ‘Titli’ on October 11, 2018 which needs huge resources for recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation Naveen claimed the assistance given according to the present mechanism of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) is highly inadequate.
“The construction of damaged public infrastructure falls outside the ambit of SDRF and NDRF norms with a few exceptions. Additional assistance from NDRF provided in case of calamity of a severe nature is highly inadequate relative to damage to infrastructure and livelihoods leaving the state with no alternative but to manage recovery and reconstruction from its own limited resources,” mentioned the CM.
“It is in this premise of historical Central neglect and frequent natural calamities that my Government has been demanding Special Category Status for Odisha which will supplement our efforts in transforming the State. Odisha is registering a growth rate higher than the nation’s growth rate. Providing Special Category Status will further accelerate industrial development and in turn more jobs for our youth. Kindly consider Odisha’s request as a unique one and support us in the fast pace, inclusive development of Odisha,” the CM added.
Notably, earlier this year, Naveen had also tabled the Special Category Status for the state before the 15th Finance Commission.
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