Special Category Status (SCS) is a classification given by the Central government to assist the development of states that face geographical and socio-economic disadvantages. The Constitution does not make a provision for SCS, and this classification was later done on the recommendations of the Fifth Finance Commission in 1969.

The National Development Council bases its decision to give special category designation on the following criteria:
• Hilly and difficult terrain
• Low population density
• Presence of a sizable tribal population
• Strategic location along borders with neighboring countries
• Economic and infrastructure backwardness
• Non-viable nature of state finances
Presently, 11 states have been accorded the special category state status, including Assam, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Uttarakhand and Telangana. Telangana was accorded the status as it was carved out of another state, Andhra Pradesh.

The 14th Finance Commission has done away with the special category status except for the Northeastern and three hill states. It suggested filling the resource gap of such states through increased tax devolution from 32% to 42%.

The states currently requesting special category status are:
1 Andhra Pradesh: Demanding SCS since 2017 after bifurcation from Telangana, hoping to receive necessary funds to develop Amravati as the state capital.
2 Bihar: Seeking SCS since 2007, citing economic and infrastructural backwardness after the separation of mineral-rich Jharkhand in 2000.
3 Odisha: Has made similar demands in the past, though the current status of its request is unclear.

The main benefits of Special Category Status (SCS) for states are:
1 Central assistance of up to 90% in the form of grants and 10% loan for centrally sponsored schemes, while non-SCS states receive only 30% grant and 70% loan.
2 Tax concessions and exemptions from excise duty, customs duty, corporate tax, and income tax to attract investments. However, many tax benefits have been subsumed under the GST regime.
3 A huge 30% of the planned expenditure of the central budget goes to Special Category States.
4 Special Plan Assistance for projects of importance to the state.
5 Unspent funds at the end of the financial year do not lapse and are carried forward to the next year.
6 Preferential treatment in getting central funds, which attracts more development projects to the state.
7 Debt swapping and debt relief schemes are available to Special Category States

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is not cutting interest rates despite the retail inflation rate being within the target range of 2% to 6% because of several factors:

1 Sticky Inflation: Despite keeping the repo rate consistently high, retail inflation has not dropped to touch the 4% mark since January 2021.

2 Economic Growth: The RBI has upped the GDP forecast for the current financial year from 7% to 7.2%, indicating that the current growth momentum is expected to continue.

3 Global Economic Conditions:. The US Federal Reserve is expected to deliver its first rate cut in June, but the risks are growing for the cut to happen later in the year. This may prompt the RBI to hold off on significant rate cuts until at least July.

4 Monsoon Forecast and Agricultural Prospects: A normal monsoon season, as predicted by Skymet, suggests that agricultural production could remain stable, controlling food inflation and supporting rural income. This is crucial for the RBI, as it directly impacts inflation and growth rates.

5 Crude Oil Prices: Elevated crude oil prices, exacerbated by geopolitical tensions, present an external challenge for India's economy. The RBI will need to account for the impact of higher energy costs on inflation and the current account deficit.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has outlined aspirational goals for its centenary year, focusing on enhancing India's global footprint. Key goals include:

• Capital Account Liberalisation: To allow free flow of capital to and from India, enabling the rupee to be used for international transactions.

• Globalisation of Rupee: To make the rupee a widely accepted currency for international transactions, enhancing accessibility of rupee accounts for non-residents.

• Digital Payments: To deepen and universalise digital payment systems domestically and globally, including internationalisation of UPI, RTGS, and NEFT.

• Financial Sector Reforms: To expand banking domestically and position Indian banks among the top 100 global banks, supporting the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) to make GIFT City a leading international financial centre.

• Monetary Policy Framework: To review the framework to balance price stability and economic growth from an Emerging Market Economy (EME) perspective, refining monetary policy communication and addressing spillovers to EMEs.

• Climate Risk Management: To guide regulated entities on stress testing their asset portfolios for climate change and strengthen payment systems' resilience to climate risks.

Capital account convertibility means the freedom to convert rupee into any foreign currency and foreign currency back into rupee for capital account transactions.

India has not yet opened up its capital account fully which will allow free flow of capital to the country and outside. The rupee was made full float in the trade account during the 1991 reforms initiated by the then government.

The Tarapore committee had listed several preconditions such as fiscal consolidation, inflation control, low level of non-performing assets, low current account deficit and strengthening of financial markets for achieving capital account liberalisation.

The RBI working group, headed by RBI Executive Director Radha Shyam Ratho, had recently recommended a slew of short to long term measures to accelerate the pace of internationalisation of the rupee.

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