Bihar CM Nitish Kumar awaiting Centre's action on special category status

PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday remained unmoved by the union government's assertions that special category status for Bihar was under consideration and said he was waiting for the recommendations of the committee and the Centre's action on it.

"There is nothing new in it," Kumar told reporters in his reaction to Planning Minister Rajeev Shukla's written reply in Rajya Sabha that proposal from Bihar for special category status is under consideration of the Centre.

Shukla said Jharkhand, Odisha and Rajasthan did not meet the criteria for according special category status, while such proposal from Bihar was under consideration.

"I am waiting what recommendations the committee set up by the government gives and the action the Centre takes on it," Kumar said.

The union government has recently set up a committee to decide fresh criteria for backwardness of the state as prelude to decide the proposal for special category status.