Odisha MP Reiterates Demand For ‘Special Focus State’ Status

New Delhi: Biju Janata Dal Rajya Sabha MP Dr Sasmit Patra on Friday demanded that Odisha be accorded Special Focus State status in view of the natural disasters it has been facing and their consequent effect on the state’s economy.

Speaking during the Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, Dr Patra said that Odisha is progressing and developing under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Odisha has been facing natural disasters on a regular basis. Cyclones and floods hit Odisha regularly and adversely affect the economy of the state. He demanded that through this Special Focus State status the Government of India should change the financial sharing pattern of Government programmes between the Centre and the state for a period of three years from the date of incidence of a natural disaster in the state. He stated that the sharing pattern should change from the present 60:40 ratio to 90:10 ratio between the Centre and the State.

Dr Patra informed that the Government programmes have a sharing pattern of 60:40 ratio in which 60 per cent of funds are provided by the Centre and 40 per cent by the state. If the state’s administrative cost for running such programmes is added, then the ratio comes to 50:50 between the Centre and the state. But when a natural disaster strikes Odisha, this sharing pattern should be changed to 90:10 with 90 per cent by Centre and 10 per cent by the state for a period of three years to expedite the infrastructural development and rebuilding of the affected regions of the state.

The BJD Rajya Sabha further highlighted the issues of development in the Kalahandi, Bolangir and Koraput (KBK) region of Odisha, where there is a need for increasing the banking density, teledensity and internet connectivity. All of these regions also need additional support and assistance from the Centre.

It may be recalled that the Odisha CM had made a similar demand in February 2020. “Taking the frequency of natural disasters faced by Odisha into consideration, Vulnerability to Natural Calamity should be taken as a criteria to declare Odisha as a Special Focus State,”  the Chief Minister had said at the 24th Eastern Zonal Council (EZC) meeting.

He had requested that the sharing pattern change to 90:10 ratio between Centre and state for a period of 3 years from the date of incidence of a natural disaster in Odisha.