No proposal to grant Special Category Status to Odisha: Minister

New Delhi: The Union Government has no proposal under consideration for granting Special Category Status to Odisha, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur said in Lok Sabha on Monday.

“There is no proposal under consideration of the Union Government for granting Special Category Status and allowing sharing pattern for Centrally Sponsored Scheme in the ratio of 90: 10 at par with North-Eastern and Himalayan States to the State of Odisha”, said the Union Minister.

“Further, the Fourteenth Finance Commission did not make a distinction between Special and General Category States in determining their norms and recommendations, “he added.

The Minister was replying to a question of Nabarangpur MP Ramesh Majhi who sought to know whether the Central Government has any proposal to declare Odisha as a special Category State.