Question : NORMS FOR GRANT OF SPECIAL STATUS TO STATES

(a) the details of the norms fixed for grant of special status to the States;

(b) whether the Union Government has received proposals from the State Governments to accord Special Category State Status to their State during the last three years and the current year;

(c) if so, the details thereof and the action taken by the Union Government thereon;and

(d) the names of the States which have already been accorded ‘Special Status’ alongwith the funds allocated for their developmental activities during the last three years and the current year?

MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS(SHRI V. NARAYANASAMY)

(a)to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) TO (D) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 270 BY SHRI WAKCHAURE BHAUSAHEB RAJARAM AND DR. VINAY KUMAR PANDEY ‘VINNU’ REGARDING “NORMS FOR GRANT OF SPECIAL STATUS TO STATES” DUE FOR ANSWER ON 22-07-2009.

(a) Special Category Status has been granted to some States that are characterized by a number of features necessitating special consideration. These features include: i) Hilly and difficult terrain, ii) Low population density and/or sizeable share of tribal population, iii) Strategic location along borders with neighboring countries, iv) Economic and infrastructural backwardness and v) Non-viable nature of state finances. States under this category have a low resource base and are not in a position to mobilize resources for their developmental needs even though the per capita income of some of these states is relatively high.

(b)& (c): Recently, during the current year, a request has been received for providing ‘Special Category Status’ to Bihar which is under examination. No other proposal is under consideration of the Government at present.

(d) At present there are 11 Special Category States namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand. The Central Assistance comprising of Normal Central Assistance, Additional Central Assistance for Externally Aided Projects and Additional Central Assistance for other special Programmes allocated to these 11 States during last three years and the current year 2009-10 as per the approved Scheme of Financing are:

Name of the	Central Assistance – Grants (Rs. Crore)
States	(Annual Plan)
2006-07	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10

Arunachal	856.08	1033.31	1698.65	Funding Plan
Pradesh	to be finalized

Assam	2739.74	3528.36	3684.05	Discussion yet to take place.

Himachal	1374.20	1403.50	1739.25	2021.21
Pradesh

Jammu &	3251.62	3670.24	4403.27	Discussion proposed to
Kashmir	take place on 22.7.09

Manipur	1100.30	1236.21	1488.50	Discussion yet to take place

Meghalaya	634.41	773.62	1014.70	Discussion yet to take place

Mizoram	651.39	769.63	950.52	Discussion yet to take place

Nagaland	657.07	809.78	991.08	1162.84

Sikkim	424.88	473.49	497.16	773.20

Tripura	886.67	1080.49	1272.89	1431.18

Uttarakhand	1340.82	2238.33	2811.30	Discussion yet to take place