Central Zonal Council 25th Meeting
Source: PIB
GS II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
Overview
- News in Brief
- Zonal Councils in India
- History of Zonal Councils
Why in the News?
Union Home Minister chaired the 25th meeting of the Central Zonal Council in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
News in Brief
- The meeting, organised by the Inter-State Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs in collaboration with the Government of Uttar Pradesh.
- It will bring together key policymakers from the central and state governments.
- Chief Ministers of the member states—Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh—along with two senior ministers from each state, will participate in the meeting.
- The Chief Secretaries and other senior officials of these states, as well as representatives from central ministries, will also be in attendance.
Output of Central Zonal Council 25th Meeting
- A total of 19 issues were discussed in today’s meeting, including several matters of national importance.
- These included the implementation of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) for the speedy investigation and prompt disposal of rape cases against women and children, provision of brick-and-mortar banking facilities within the designated radius of every village, and implementation of the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112), among other key issues.
- All states of the Zonal Council should ensure the eradication of child malnutrition, bring the dropout ratio down to zero, and strengthen the cooperative sector.
Zonal Councils in India
- Under Sections 15 to 22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, five Zonal Councils were established.
- Union Home Minister is the chairperson of these five Zonal Councils, and the Chief Ministers/Lieutenant Governors/Administrators of the member states and Union Territories are their members.
- Among these members, the Chief Minister of one member state (rotating every year) acts as the vice-chairperson.
- From each member state, the Governor nominates two ministers as members of the council.
- Each Zonal Council has also formed a permanent committee at the level of Chief Secretaries.
- Issues proposed by the states are initially presented to the permanent committee of the concerned Zonal Council for discussion.
- After consideration by the permanent committee, the remaining issues are then presented to the Zonal Council meeting for further deliberation.
- Decision and implementation
- The role of the Zonal Councils is advisory.
- However, over the past few years, these councils have proven to be an important factor in promoting healthy bonds of mutual understanding and cooperation in various fields.
- With the cooperation of all state governments, central ministries, and departments, a total of 62 meetings of the various Zonal Councils and their permanent committees have been held in the last eleven years.
Various Zonal Councils
- The Northern Regional Council: Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Chandigarh.
- The North Eastern Council: Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland and Tripura.
- The Central Regional Council: Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh.
- The Eastern Regional Council: West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa (Odisha) and Sikkim.
- The Western Regional Council: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
- The Southern Zonal Council: Union Territories of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
History of Zonal Councils
- Jawaharlal Nehru proposed regional councils in the year 1956.
- Five regional councils were established in India under the State Reorganisation Act, 1956.
- Later, a separate regional council was established for the northeastern states under the North Eastern Council Act, 1971.
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