15th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Eastern Zonal Council held in Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar: The 15th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Eastern Zonal Council was held on Wednesday at the State Convention Center of Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha. The meeting was organized by the Inter-State Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India in collaboration with the Government of Odisha. The objective of the meeting was to strengthen coordination among the states of the eastern region and to discuss and move towards resolving various inter-state issues.
This important meeting was presided over by Anu Garg, Chief Secretary of the host state Odisha. Apart from Odisha, senior administrative officials from Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal participated in the meeting. Representatives of various states discussed administrative coordination, development related issues and issues of common interest.
Ashish Srivastava, Secretary of the Inter-State Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, was also present in the meeting. He stressed the objectives of the Council and the need for better coordination among states. Along with him, Chief Secretary of Bihar Pratyaya Amrit, Development Commissioner of Jharkhand Ajay Kumar Singh and Additional Chief Secretary of West Bengal Government Binod Kumar also participated in the meeting.
Senior officials of all the states attending the meeting shared their views on various administrative and developmental issues related to their respective states. Along with this, senior officials of the Inter-State Council Secretariat also presented information on the review of the work of the Council and the progress of various pending cases.
The meeting of the Standing Committee of the Eastern Regional Council is considered an important forum to strengthen cooperation and coordination among the states. Through this platform, common challenges, administrative coordination, infrastructure development, transport, security, law and order, management of natural resources and other interstate topics are discussed among different states.
During the meeting, it was also emphasized that better coordination among the states helps in effective implementation of development plans. Exchange of information and coordinated efforts between various departments can give new impetus to regional development.
Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg in her address while welcoming the representatives of all the states said that such meetings promote trust, cooperation and better administrative coordination among the states. He said that the main objective of the Council is to find practical solutions through dialogue on common issues.
The officials participating in the meeting agreed that there are many issues facing the states of Eastern India, which can be resolved more effectively through mutual cooperation and coordination. For this, there is a need to further strengthen the regular communication and coordination mechanism.
Officials of the Inter-State Council Secretariat, while reviewing various pending cases, urged the concerned States to share necessary information and ensure time bound action. Besides, emphasis was also laid on effective implementation of decisions taken in future council meetings.
During the meeting, various administrative reforms, better governance system, effective operation of programs related to public interest and further strengthening of cooperative working system between the states were also discussed. Officials also said it was important to exchange experiences so that successful schemes and better administrative models of different states could be implemented in other states also.
This meeting of the Standing Committee of the Eastern Regional Council has been held at a time when the Central and State Governments are laying special emphasis on strengthening the spirit of Cooperative Federalism. Council meetings are seen as an effective means of enhancing dialogue among states and finding solutions to common problems.
At the end of the meeting all the participants reiterated their commitment to further strengthen inter-state cooperation. Officials expressed confidence that such regular meetings will lead to better coordination among the states, increase administrative efficiency and provide a new direction to the overall development of the eastern region.
