Odisha to raise special status demand at NITI Aayog meet

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday said he will raise the state's longstanding demand for a Special Category status at a NITI Aayog meeting scheduled in Delhi on Sunday.

"I will demand the Special Category status for Odisha. Besides, I will seek appointments with certain central ministers to discuss issues related to Odisha," the Chief Minister said before leaving for Delhi on a five-day visit.

The meeting of the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog Governing Council, the top decision-making body headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Chief Minister, who is also President of Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal, however said he has no plan to hold discussions on coming elections to the posts of the President and Vice-President.

Patnaik's Delhi visit, the second in a month, assumes significance amid speculation that the opposition parties are planning to field a united candidate for these elections.

--IANS

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