Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday reiterated the demand for according special category status to Odisha.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Patnaik requested him to grant special category status to the state which will supplement the efforts in transforming the state.
The chief minister said Odisha is registering a growth rate higher than the nation’s growth rate and the special category status will further accelerate industrial development and create more jobs for youths.
Patnaik said successive Central governments have neglected Odisha and the state remained at the bottom in the country in tele-density, Railway network, Banking network and coverage, National Highways and Air connectivity sectors.
Frequent natural calamities like flood, drought and cyclone also affected the state.
Despite these challenges, the state has made has made steady progress on socio-economic development front, said Patnaik. The state’s GDP has increased by 50 per cent during the last six years and poverty has declined by 24.61 per cent from 2004-05 to 2011-12, the highest reduction among major states. Odisha, he said, has been awarded the prestigious Krishi Karman Award for a record number of five times.