Zonal Council

Why is in news? Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, will Chair the 26th meeting of the Western Zonal Council at Gandhinagar, Gujarat on Monday, August 28

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation will chair the 26th meeting of the Western Zonal Council on Monday, 28th August, 2023 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

The Western Zonal Council comprises the states of Gujarat, Goa, Maharashtra and the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

The meeting is being organized by the Inter State Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, in collaboration with the Government of Gujarat.

About the council:

They are statutory bodies established by an act of parliament (State reorganization Act of 1956).

The union home minister is the common chairman of all the zonal councils

Other members include: The Chief Ministers of the States included in each zone act as Vice-Chairman of the Zonal Council for that zone by rotation, each holding office for a period of one year at a time, Chief Minister and two other Ministers as nominated by the Governor from each of the States and two members from Union Territories included in the zone.

At present there are six zonal councils– Northern, Central, Eastern, Western, Southern and North-Eastern

Objectives:

Bringing out national integration

Arresting the growth of acute State consciousness, regionalism, linguism and particularistic tendencies.

Enabling the Centre and the States to co-operate and exchange ideas and experiences.

Establishing a climate of co-operation amongst the States for successful and speedy execution of development projects.

Functions of zonal council:

Each Zonal Council is an advisory body and may discuss any matter in which some or all of the States represented in that Council have a common interest.

It may advise the Central Government and the Government of each State concerned upon the action to be taken on any such matter.

In particular, a Zonal Council may discuss, and make recommendations with regard to:

any matter of common interest in the field of economic and social planning;

any matter concerning border disputes, linguistic minorities or inter-State transport;

any matter connected with or arising out of, the re-organization of the States under the States Reorganisation Act.