News: Recently, Union Home Minister Amit Shah presided over the 27th meeting of the Western Zonal Council in Pune.
About Zonal Councils
- Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru introduced the concept of zonal councils in 1956 during the debate on the States Reorganisation Commission report.
- It was introduced as a mechanism to promote inter-state cooperation and resolve issues arising from state linguistic reorganizations.
- These councils serve as advisory and cooperative platforms between states and the Centre.
Composition of Zonal Councils
Each Zonal Council consists of:
- Union Home Minister – Chairman of all councils.
- Chief Ministers of the states in a zone – Vice-Chairman (on a rotational basis for one year).
- Two Ministers from each state – Nominated by the respective Governor.
- Two representatives from Union Territories in the zone.
- One Planning Commission nominee for each council.
- Chief Secretaries and senior officials from the states.
- Standing Committees
- Each council has a Standing Committee comprising Chief Secretaries of member states.
- These committees meet periodically to resolve issues and prepare the groundwork for council meetings.
- Representatives from Central Ministries and NITI Aayog attend based on necessity.
Functions and Role of Zonal Councils
- It acts as a platform for resolving Centre-State and inter-state disputes.
- It facilitates regional cooperation in economic and social planning.
- It discusses and resolves issues related to:
- Border disputes.
- Linguistic minorities.
- Inter-state transport
- Other matters under the States Reorganisation Act.
- It fosters cooperative and competitive federalism.
