NEW DELHI: The Union Government on Monday said there was no case for the grant of special category status to Bihar. The development came a day after the ruling BJP’s ally in the NDA, the JD(U), raised a demand in this regard during an all-party meeting.
JD(U) sources said they had conveyed to the Centre that they were ready to take a special financial package if the special category status was not coming through.
Answering a written question by Rampreet Mandal of the JD(U) on whether the government proposed to provide special status to Bihar, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said a case was not made out.
The MoS said the special category status for assistance was granted in the past by the National Development Council (NDC) to some states that were characterised by a number of features necessitating special consideration.
“These features included hilly and difficult terrain; low population density and/or sizeable share of tribal population; strategic location along borders with neighbouring countries; economic and infrastructural backwardness; and non-viable nature of state finances. The decision was taken based on an integrated consideration of all factors listed above and the peculiar situation of the state. Earlier, the request of Bihar for the special status was considered by an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) which submitted its report on March, 30, 2012. The IMG came to the conclusion that based on the existing NDC criteria, the case for the special status for Bihar is not made out,” Chaudhary said.
The opposition Congress and the RJD took swipes at the JD(U) over what they called a cold shoulder given to it by the government in which the JD(U) is a crucial ally. “Nitish Kumar and other JD(U) leaders must enjoy the fruits of power at the Centre and continue their drama politics on special status,” the RJD said.
Government sources said the special status concept was first mooted by the 5th Finance Commission in 1969 to address regions with historical challenges of central Indian regions.