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The Janata Dal (United) has reminded the BJP-led NDA government of their "promise" of fulfilling the special status demand of Bihar after the Centre asserted in Lok Sabha that such a demand is not made out, sources said. This comes a day after the JD(U), a key member of the NDA, demanded the Centre to grant special status to Bihar in the all party meet before the beginning of the Monsoon session of Parliament.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on the first day of the Monsoon session, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary cited a an inter-ministerial group report prepared in 2012 to assert that a case for granting special category status to Bihar is not made out.
Chaudhary said special category status was granted in the past by the National Development Council (NDC) to some states which were characterised by a number of features necessitating special consideration.
The minister further said that the special category status for plan assistance was granted in the past by the NDC to some states that were characterised by a number of features necessitating special consideration.
These features included hilly and difficult terrain, low population density and/or sizeable share of tribal population, strategic location along borders with neighbouring countries, economic and infrastructural backwardness and non-viable nature of state finances.
The decision was taken based on an integrated consideration of all the factors listed above and the peculiar situation of the state.
"Earlier, the request of Bihar for special category status was considered by an inter-ministerial group which submitted its report on March 30, 2012. The group came to the finding that based on existing NDC criteria, the case for special category status for Bihar is not made out," the minister said.
Reacting to the government's reply in Lok Sabha, top JD(U) sources told that the party is very much committed for the special status to Bihar.
"If there is some technical issue then the government must give us special package for the development of Bihar. We want to make it very clear that we are part of this alliance only because we have been promised special status for Bihar," sources said.
