Patna, May 11: Union water resources minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today said Bihar does not fit the criteria to get the “special status category”, while suggesting that states should put forward genuine demands only.

Bansal told reporters at the Congress state headquarters here that the Union government has “limited role” in doling out special packages to states, particularly when the Centre has to operate within resources.

“I am not the competent authority to speak on the issue. Ultimately, it is the Planning Commission that has to take a final decision. The government has to have holistic approach while deciding this (special category) issue. It (Bihar) is not one of those states (which fit the criteria for being accorded a special category status),” said Bansal, who is also the parliamentary affairs minister.

Stating that the people may be genuine in putting up their demands, he parried the question, as how would the Centre cope up if everyone started demanding the special-category status.

Bansal, who was greeted by Bihar Congress chief Mehboob Ali Quaiser, Congress legislature party leader Sadanand Singh, spokesperson H.K. Verma, party leaders Prabhat Singh and M.L. Sharma, would undertake an aerial survey of river Ganga in Bihar, along with chief minister Nitish Kumar. The Union minister emphasised that there are plenty of issues like providing potable water and sanitation facilities to all the households in the country.

Bansal said he has fixed three criteria that are on the foreground of his agenda. First, to see the flood-management programme, second, giving speedy clearance to the proposals sent by the state government vis-à-vis flood control, irrigation, and third, priority to inter-linking of rivers in the state.

“Our efforts would be to clear the projects as soon as possible if the state government has formulated the projects according to the guidelines,” the minister said.