Bhubaneswar: Odisha planning and convergence minister Usha Devi on Thursday admitted in the Assembly that the state did not meet the required criteria to get the special-category state status. The reply comes at a time when the BJD and the Odisha government are making all-out efforts to obtain the status of a special-category state.

In fact, the BJD has held a series of protest meetings and even rallies in New Delhi over the years to demand the status for Odisha. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had also raised the issue with the Centre several times.

In response to a question of MLA Kailash Chandra Kuleshika, Usha Devi said: "Of the five parameters for classification that are required to get the status of a special category state, Odisha fails to meet two parameters. These two parameters are - Odisha lacks a boarder with neighbouring countries (strategic location along boarders with neighbouring countries) and non-viable nature of state finance (state finance is not stagnant)."

To get the status, a state has to fulfil five parameters as announced by the then National Development Council. The planning commission had intimated this fact to the state government on May 7, 2013. While the state is unable to meet two parameters, it checks three other categories - hilly and difficult terrain, low population density and sizable share of tribal population, and has economic and infrastructure backwardness.

Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati said: "The BJD government is aware that it does not fulfil the criteria to get the status. It is befooling people on the issue. I still wonder why it is targeting the Centre, be it the UPA or the NDA, on the issue."