Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, today chaired the 25th meeting of the Central Zonal Council in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The meeting was attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav, and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai.
Senior ministers from the member states, the Union Home Secretary, the Secretary of the Inter-State Council Secretariat, Chief Secretaries of the member states, and other senior officials from the states and central ministries and departments also participated in the meeting.
At the beginning of the meeting, Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah moved a resolution to commend the strong willpower of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the valour of the Indian Armed Forces, which was unanimously approved by the Central Zonal Council.
Shri Amit Shah said that today we are holding this meeting in Kashi. After Prime Minister Modi became an MP from here, Kashi has now made its mark as the symbol of development along with being the most ancient city of the world.
He said that despite being extremely busy, how can a public representative bring about such a massive change by working dedicatedly for his constituency and people; Modi ji has set an example for all of us through the amazing development in Kashi.
In his address, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the member states of the Central Zonal Council have a crucial role to play in achieving Prime Minister Modi’s goal of building a developed India by 2047.
He said that the Central Zonal Council is the only zonal council where no issue or dispute exist between member states, and this is a significant achievement. In the meeting, the Home Minister said that while only 11 meetings of the Zonal Councils and 14 meetings of the Standing Committees of the Zonal Councils were held between 2004 and 2014, a total of 28 Zonal Council meetings and 33 Standing Committee meetings have been held between 2014 and 2025 marking a twofold increase.
He also highlighted that 1,287 issues have been resolved in these meetings so far, which is both historic and encouraging. Union Home Minister also urged the member states to increase the revenue of Gram Panchayats and to formulate rules for this purpose.
He said that enhancing the revenue of Panchayats would make India’s three-tier democratic Panchayati Raj system more effective. A total of 19 issues were discussed in today’s meeting, including several matters of national importance.
These included the implementation of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) for the speedy investigation and prompt disposal of rape cases against women and children, provision of brick-and-mortar banking facilities within the designated radius of every village, and implementation of the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112), among other key issues.
In the meeting, the Home Minister said that all states of the Zonal Council should ensure the eradication of child malnutrition, bring the dropout ratio down to zero, and strengthen the cooperative sector.
Under Sections 15 to 22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, five Zonal Councils were established. Union Home Minister is the chairperson of these five Zonal Councils, and the Chief Ministers/Lieutenant Governors/Administrators of the member 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.
Each Zonal Council has also formed a permanent committee at the level of Chief Secretaries. Issues proposed by the states are initially presented to the permanent committee of the concerned Zonal Council for discussion.
After consideration by the permanent committee, the remaining issues are then presented to the Zonal Council meeting for further deliberation. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has emphasized the need to leverage cooperative and competitive federalism for the all-round development of the country.
With the belief 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 through this, 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 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 62 meetings of the various Zonal Councils and their permanent committees have been held in the last eleven years.