New Delhi: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Sasmit Patra Friday urged the Union government to grant special focus status to Odisha citing that the state has been affected by natural calamities every year.
While speaking during the Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, the BJD chief whip in the Upper House said the Chief Minister of Odisha released a damage assessment report, August 6, on cyclone Fani which devastated the state. The report said that total damage to the state was to the tune of Rs 24,000 crore and for recovery the state needs Rs 30,000 crore.
“According to the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are the four states which usually bear the brunt of natural disasters in the country over the past century. A special focus is required for such states which actually face this kind of natural calamity. Our Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has suggested during the meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and in the Governing Council of NITI Aayog meeting that an interim measure for states that are hit by natural calamities should be undertaken and such states should be mentioned as special focus states and should be provided with benefits which accrue to a special category state,” said Patra.
He further said that the Central assistance or support would be in the ratio of 90:10 between the Centre and the state for all programmes.
“I urge the Union government to kindly consider that the states which face natural calamities may kindly be considered seriously and be declared as special focus states as suggested by Naveen Patnaik,” Patra added.