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

1. News in Brief
2. Zonal Councils in India
3. 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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