Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik raised the Special Category Status issue before the NITI Aayog on Saturday, four days after pushing for the 'Special Focus State' status for the state in view of its vulnerability to natural calamities.
Attending the fifth meeting of the Governing Council of the NITI Aayog chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Patnaik demanded that natural calamity be included as a criterion for according Special Category Status to Odisha.
"As an interim measure, states hit by major natural calamities may be declared as Special Focus States and granted benefits of Special Category Status for a specific period," the chief minister said.
 
File photo of Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik. PTI
Patnaik had raised the same demand during a meeting with the prime minister on 11 June.
Patnaik cited the instance of cyclone Fani that battered 14 districts, killed 64 people and caused a total loss of Rs 9,336.26 crore after making landfall at a wind speed of about 200 kmph near Puri on 3 May.
Noting that India must move towards empowering women in all spheres, the chief minister said as frequent elections affect development climate, it is better to have simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.
He said the primary sector especially agriculture has to be always taken care of and judicious utilisation of water resources holds the key.
"Second Green Revolution should happen in our dry land areas also," Patnaik said adding that environment and economic development should go hand in hand.
He also demanded that the PM-KISAN scheme must include landless agriculture households and sharecroppers.
"All irrigation projects which are lying incomplete as on 1 April, 2019 should be included under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)," he said.