Shah to chair 32nd meeting of Northern Zonal Council on Monday

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah will chair the 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council on Monday, where he is expected to deliberate on crucial issues concerning member states, including matters of national importance.

The Northern Zonal Council comprises the states and Union territories of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Chandigarh.

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Senior officials from the Government of India, state governments, and Union territories will also participate in the meeting, which will be held in Haryana’s Faridabad.

Apart from matters concerning national importance, the meeting is likely to discuss issues such as speedy investigation of cases of sexual offenses against women and children, the implementation of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) for their swift disposal, the functioning of emergency response systems, the strengthening of health and nutrition infrastructure, and other key concerns in the member states.

Various regional-level common interest issues, such as education, electricity, urban planning, and the cooperative system, will also be part of the meeting.

Issues proposed by the permanent committee of the Northern Zonal Council states will also be part of the deliberations.

Notably, issues proposed by the states are first taken up by the Permanent Committee of the concerned Zonal Council, and the remaining ones are subsequently placed before the Zonal Council meeting for further deliberation.

Haryana will host the meeting being organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs Inter-State Council Secretariat.

Union Home Minister Shah is the chairperson of the Northern Zonal Council, while the Chief Minister of Haryana is its vice-chair.

The Chief Minister of a member state acts as the vice-chairperson on a rotational basis every year.

From each member state, the Governor nominates two ministers to the council.

Each such council has also formed a Permanent Committee at the level of the chief secretaries.

With a conviction that strong states make a strong nation, the Zonal Councils provide a structured mechanism for dialogue and discussion on issues affecting two or more states or the Centre and states, and serve as an important platform to enhance mutual cooperation.

The role of the Zonal Councils is advisory; however, over the past few years, these councils have proven to be an important factor in terms of coordination.

With the cooperation of all state governments, Union ministries, and departments, a total of 63 meetings of various Zonal Councils and their Permanent Committees have been held in the last eleven years.