Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reiterated Odisha’s longstanding demand for Special Category Status (SCS) to the State during a meeting with Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar at the State Secretariat here on Saturday.
Patnaik also drew attention of the NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman to the need for expansion of mobile network in 11,200 villages and broadband connectivity in Maoist-infested panchayats.
The Chief Minister too urged the Niti Aayog to consider opening of more bank branches in 4,376 unbanked panchayats in the State. Besides, he urged relaxation of tender norms for construction of roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in 38 blocks affected by leftwing Extremism (lWE).
Patnaik further urged Kumar to increase the Centre’s contribution to disaster response fund from 75 per cent to 90 per cent.
Demands to restore Central assistance for the districts of the KBK region, Integrated Action Plan (IAP) and Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) were also placed before Kumar.
Patnaik also sought extension of the Amritsar-Kolkata industrial corridor to Visakhapatnam while including some districts of Odisha. He also requested Kumar for revision of coal royalty. “The Niti Aayog is visiting the States and meeting Chief Ministers. We will present their cases before the Centre and find solutions,” Kumar told mediapersons after the meeting.
“State Government officials would hold discussions with representatives of concerned Ministries in New Delhi on the issues,” he added.