Make natural calamity as criteria for Special Category Status: Naveen

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday proposed that natural calamity should be included as a criteria for according Special Category Status to states.

“As an interim measure, states hit by major natural calamities may be declared as ‘Special Focus States’ and granted benefits of Special Category Status for a specific period,” the Chief Minister proposed during the fifth governing council meeting of the Niti Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi today.

Naveen also raised the following issues

1. PM-KISSAN should include landless agriculture households and sharecroppers.
2. All irrigation projects which are lying incomplete as on 1^st April, 2019 should be included under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY).
3. The Union Government should allocate a much higher quantum of resources for watershed , command area development and drinking water.
4. There should be a priority component under PMGSY-III to connect habitations with a population of 100 and below.
5. The projects need to expedited to extend rail connectivity to Kandhamal, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri districts.
6. Bank facilities should be extended to unbanked Gram Panchayats.
7. Bharatnet project should also be implemented at a faster pace.
8. Royalty on coal should be revised from 14 per cent to 20 per cent of sale value.