Amit Shah To Preside Over 31st Northern Zonal Council Meeting In Amritsar On Sept 26
The 31st meeting of the Northern Zonal Council (NZC) will take place in Amritsar, Punjab, on September 26, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah set to preside over the event. The Ministry of Home Affairs announced this development on Sunday. The NZC consists of the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh, along with the Union Territories of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Chandigarh.
The meeting is a collaborative effort organised by the Inter-State Council Secretariat, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, in conjunction with the Government of Punjab, according to an official release from the MHA.
Amit Shah to chair 31st North Zonal Council in Punjab
Key attendees at the 31st meeting of the Northern Zonal Council will include the Chief Ministers of the member states, accompanied by two senior ministers from each state, as well as the Lieutenant Governors/Administrators of the Union Territories. In addition, Chief Secretaries and other senior officials from the State Governments and Union Territories, as well as senior officers from the Central Government, will participate in the deliberations.
The Northern Zonal Council’s agenda encompasses a wide array of issues, such as Bhakra-Beas Management Board matters, Punjab University’s affiliation, road construction projects under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), canal projects and water sharing, concerns related to state reorganization, infrastructure development, land acquisition, environmental and forest clearances, regional connectivity under the UDAN scheme, and other subjects of common regional interest, as highlighted by the MHA.
Additionally, the MHA noted that each meeting of the Zonal Councils also addresses national issues of significance. These include the operationalization of Fast Track Special Courts (FSTC) to expedite investigations and trials of rape cases involving women and children, the establishment of bank branches or India Post Payment Bank branches within a 5-kilometer radius of every village, the creation of two lakh new Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACSs) across the nation, efforts to combat child malnutrition through nutrition campaigns, strategies to reduce school dropout rates, and the involvement of government hospitals in the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), among other matters of shared national interest.
North Zonal Council
In 1957, the establishment of five Zonal Councils was authorized by the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, specifically in Sections 15-22. These councils are overseen by the Union Home Minister, who serves as their Chairman. Each Zonal Council comprises the Chief Ministers of the respective states and the Administrator/Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territories included within that particular zone. To ensure equal representation, one of these members is designated as the Vice-Chairman on a rotational basis every year. Additionally, each State nominates two more ministers as council members, as appointed by the Governor.
Furthermore, at the level of Chief Secretaries, each Zonal Council has formed a Standing Committee. While Zonal Councils primarily serve in an advisory capacity, they have progressively become vital mechanisms for fostering mutual understanding and collaboration across various domains. Over the past nine years, from June 2014 onwards, a total of 53 meetings have taken place among various Zonal Councils. These include 29 sessions of Standing Committees and 24 gatherings of Zonal Councils, signifying their growing significance in promoting regional cooperation and addressing pertinent issues.
