Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ruled out the possibility of granting the Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) and some other States.
Ms. Sithraman clarified in the Lok Sabha on Monday that the Central government was receiving requests for grant of the SCS from Odisha, Rajasthan, Bihar, Telangana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and A.P. but there was no such proposal under its consideration.
In a written reply to a question by Janata Dal member from Bihar— Kausalendra Kumar— Ms. Sitharaman said that the SCS for plan assistance was granted in the past by the National Development Council (NDC) to some States characterised by a number of features necessitating a special consideration.