Odisha doesn’t meet 2 of 5 norms: Minister

| | BHUBANESWAR | in Bhubaneswar

The Odisha Government has been demanding a Special Category State (SCS) status for the State before the Union Government since 1979 though the State doesn’t comply with two of five norms required for the SCS tag. Planning and Convergence Minister Usha Devi informed this quoting the Planning Commission Vice-Chairman in the State Assembly in response to a question of Congress MLA Kailash Chandra Kulesika on Thursday. The five points required to be met for the SCS status are the concerned State must have hilly and difficult terrain, low population density/sizeable share of tribal population, strategic location along borders with neighbouring countries, economic and infrastructural backwardness and non-viable nature of State finance.