Naveen Patnaik meets PM Modi, seeks special category status for Odisha

Naveen Patnaik said during the period from 1900 to 2019, Odisha has experienced one or the other disaster like floods, cyclone or drought every year.
The Prime Minister's Office tweeted a picture of the two leaders meeting in New Delhi. (Photo | Twitter)
The Prime Minister's Office tweeted a picture of the two leaders meeting in New Delhi. (Photo | Twitter)

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and reiterated the demand for special category state (SCS) status for Odisha in consideration of the frequent natural calamities, including recent cyclone Fani, that the State has to grapple with.

Raising the issue during his first meeting with the Prime Minister after forming Government in the State, Naveen suggested that the states hit by major calamities should be declared as ‘Special Focus States’ and granted benefits of a special category status for a specific period pending consideration of this demand. Odisha should be provided Central assistance on 90:10 sharing pattern for Centrally sponsored schemes, he stated.

The Chief Minister said during the period from 1900 to 2019, Odisha has experienced one or the other disaster like floods, cyclone or drought every year.

It has been affected by about 35 per cent of all the cyclonic storms that has crossed the eastern coast of the country during the period. 

This was the first meeting between the two leaders after the general elections. 

“I met the Prime Minister and congratulated him on his electoral victory,” the Chief Minister told media persons after the meeting. 

The Chief Minister thanked the Prime Minister for the support of the Centre to effectively manage cyclone Fani and its aftermath. 

He told the Prime Minister that about 5.6 lakh houses have been damaged and millions of trees uprooted in the cyclonic storm in which crops, orchards and animals have perished. Naveen urged the Prime Minister to sanction five lakh Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) houses for Odisha on a sharing pattern of 90:10 as a special case by waiving the criterion of the permanent waitlist (PWL).

He informed the Prime Minister that the State Government has submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Home Affairs after assessment by different departments.

The loss to the public properties and the funds required for prompt relief measures have been assessed at Rs 9,336 crore, the Chief Minister said and added that Odisha has sought assistance of Rs 5,228 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) immediately keeping in view the norms to meet the expenditure on the ongoing relief and restoration works. 

The Chief Minister drew the attention of Prime Minister to the fact that reconstruction of damaged public infrastructure largely falls outside the ambit of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)/NDRF with few exceptions.

He impressed upon the Prime Minister that the reconstruction of damaged public infrastructure should also be brought into the SDRF/NDRF norms so that adequate resources can be provided to the State for recovery and reconstruction.

Besides, the Chief Minister demanded revision of coal royalty from 14 per cent to 20 per cent of the sale value.

The additional revenue generated by royalty revision will immensely help the State accelerate development works, Naveen said and added that the royalty was last revised on May 10, 2012.

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