The Centre on Monday said that no case was made out to grant special status to Bihar, noting that the demand was considered and rejected in 2012.
In response to the statement, the Rashtriya Janata Dal demanded that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar resign, recalling that he had promised to get special status for the state.
Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, responding to a question by Janata Dal (United) MP Ramprit Mandal in the Lok Sabha, said that in the past, special status category had been granted to some states by the National Development Council.
He said that special status was granted to states that had certain characteristics that demanded special consideration – namely hilly and difficult terrain, low population density, a sizeable share of tribal population, strategic location, economic and infrastructural backwardness and non-viable nature of state finances.
Chaudhary said that an inter-ministerial group had considered Bihar’s request and submitted its report on March 30, 2012. “The IMG [inter-ministerial group] came to the finding that based on existing NDC [National Development Council] criteria, the case for special category status for Bihar is not made out,” he told the Lok Sabha.
Bihar has been demanding special status ever since mineral-rich Jharkhand was carved out of the state in 2000. Nitish Kumar, who heads the Janata Dal (United) has been at the forefront of demanding Bihar’s inclusion in the category.
On Sunday, the Janata Dal (United) had demanded special status for the state at an all-party meeting ahead of the Parliament session. The party had also passed a resolution last month on the status at its national executive meeting.
The Janata Dal (United) is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre.
The idea of special status was introduced in 1969 after the Centre acknowledged that several states were more disadvantaged than others.
A major advantage states received under the special status category was the Centre giving 90% of the funds for the implementation of centrally-sponsored schemes. The states in the category had to contribute only 10%.
Other states pooled in 40% of the funding for such schemes while the Centre contributed 60%.
However, the concept of the status was no longer in use after the Centre accepted the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission in 2015, The Indian Express reported.
Nitish Kumar sold his conscience, alleges Lalu Prasad Yadav
In response to the Centre’s statement about special status, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Monday demanded that Kumar resign as the chief minister.
“Nitish Kumar has sold his conscience, his soul, the identity of Bihar, the aspirations of the people of Bihar and the importance of Bihar’s votes for power at the Centre and in the state,” he alleged.
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