Shah to chair 25th meeting of Central Zonal Council in Varanasi on Tuesday
The meeting will be attended by Chief Ministers of the member states along with two senior ministers from each state.
The Central Zonal Council comprises the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. This meeting is being organised by the Inter-State Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs, in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh government.
Under Sections 15 to 22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, five Zonal Councils were established. The Union Home Minister is the chairperson of these five Zonal Councils, and the Chief Ministers or Lieutenant Governors of the 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, a Home Ministry statement said.
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 61 meetings of the various Zonal Councils and their permanent committees have been held in the last eleven years.
The Zonal Councils also discuss broad issues of national importance, including the speedy investigation of cases of sexual offences against women and children and the implementation of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) for their swift disposal; providing brick-and-mortar banking facilities within the designated area of every village; implementation of the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112); and various regional-level common interest issues such as strengthening nutrition, education, health, electricity, urban planning, and the cooperative system.
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