A six-member panel headed by chief economic advisor Raghuram Rajan has been assigned by the Government for a task of evolving a Composite Development Index. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has been demanding for special category status which may appear to be tailor-made for Bihar that lags the national average on per capita income and other human development indices like education and health.
Chief ministers of UP and West Bengal, Akhilesh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee have also asked for favourable assistance from the Centre. Earlier, the measure, which evaluated claims for special category status, comprised proximity to international border, poor infrastructure, sparse population and hilly terrain, was a hindrance for Bihar and several states, including UP, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Odisha
Kumar has campaigned for special status vigorously, and is set to turn it into his principal plank for the 2014 polls in the hope of crafting a theme which cuts across the divisions of caste in Bihar.
