The Centre today said that special status to any state is given on certain parameters and the request of Bihar for Special Category Status was denied in 2012. In a written reply in Lok Sabha today, the Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said that The National Development Council grants special status to any state on the basis of certain criteria like hilly and difficult terrain, low population density or sizable share of tribal population, strategic location along borders with neighbouring countries, economic and infrastructural backwardness and non-viable nature of State finances. He said that the request of Bihar for Special Category Status was considered by an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) which submitted its report in March 2012. The IMG came to the conclusion that based on existing National Development Council criteria and the case for Special Category Status for Bihar is not made out.