Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and demanded special category status for his State, but continued to be evasive on his party allying with the National Democratic Alliance.
However, Mr. Patnaik said the issue of an alliance did not come up for discussion. “Our support to the NDA will be positive and constructive,” was all he would say after the meeting.
During the meeting, Mr. Patnaik demanded that the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh be scrapped. He said the project would cause displacement of people and submergence of land in Malkangiri district. The State had already taken the matter to the Supreme Court.
Mr. Modi, he said after the 30-minute meeting, was “quite positive” to his demands. He hoped the NDA government would treat Odisha better than the previous United Progressive Alliance government did.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office described Mr. Patnaik’s visit with a delegation of MPs from Odisha as a “courtesy call.”
Mr. Patnaik also met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and sought full compensation for the revenue loss the State would suffer due to the phasing out of the Central Sales Tax (CST). Either that, or the Centre should restore the CST rate to the original four per cent till the Goods and Services tax was implemented.
Odisha received a mere Rs. 256 crore as compensation in 2010-11 for the phase-out of CST, as against the loss assessment of Rs. 664 crore. No compensation had been received since then. “The FM told me that he will expedite these matters,” he said.
He also wanted royalty rates on major minerals to be revised to 15 per cent from 10 per cent.
