Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday reiterated his demand that the Centre declare Odisha a ‘Special Focus State’ as it is frequently being ravaged by natural disasters.

“Taking the frequency of natural disasters faced by Odisha into consideration, Vulnerability to Natural Calamity should be taken as a criterion to declare Odisha as a Special Focus State,” Patnaik said at the 24th Eastern Zonal Council (EZC) meeting held here under the Chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other Ministers from Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

Patnaik also urged for increasing banking, tele-density and coal royalty in the State.

“Royalty on coal has not been revised from 2012. There is an urgent need to revise royalty on coal and also to share the proceeds of clean energy cess with the State Government,” said he.

He also demanded announcement of a special economic package for speeding up the infrastructural development of the eastern region. “Our regions have some of the largest scheduled areas of the country. I reiterate my demand for inclusion of the Ho, Bhumij and Mundari languages in the Eighth Schedule of Constitution,” he added.

Patnaik said Odisha provides 50-per cent funds and land free of cost in important railway projects, but the projects’ progress has been very slow.

“If a nationwide analysis is done for tele-density, banking density, rail and road density, East Zone would be at the bottom in all these subjects that are in the Union List. There is a need to double the allotments made to this region so that they catch up to the national benchmarks,” said Patnaik.

He said this zone contributes maximum to the country’s mineral wealth and is, in turn, manufacturing and energy security of the country. The fruits of this wealth should boost the economic growth of the region and its people, said he.