The Union Home and Cooperation Minister recently presided over the 25th Eastern Zonal Council meeting in Kolkata, bringing Zonal Councils into limelight.
Understanding Zonal Councils
Zonal Councils are statutory bodies established through the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, meaning these councils were created by Parliament and do not exist within the framework of the Constitution. The same Act divided India into five zones: Northern, Central, Eastern, Western, Southern, with each zone having its own council.
When partitioning the country, important factors were considered including natural divisions of the country, river systems and communication methods, cultural and linguistic similarities, and the need for economic development, security and law and order.
In addition to these Zonal Councils, there is a separate North-Eastern Council formed under the North-Eastern Council Act of 1971, with member states being Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Sikkim.
Composition and Structure of Zonal Councils
The Northern Zonal Council consists of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, National Capital Territory of Delhi, Union Territory of Chandigarh and Ladakh, and is headquartered in New Delhi.
The Central Zonal Council includes Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with its headquarter in Allahabad.
The Eastern Zonal Council comprises Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Sikkim and West Bengal, and its headquarters are located in Kolkata.
The Western Zonal Council includes Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and the Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and is based in Mumbai.
Last but not least, the Southern Zonal Council includes Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry, and its headquarters are in Chennai.
Each Zonal Council’s organizational structure comprises a Chairman, who is the Union Home Minister, and a Vice Chairman, who is the rotating role among Chief Ministers of the States within the zone. Members include the Chief Minister and two other ministers nominated by the Governor from each State, and two members from Union Territories within the zone. Advisors are also appointed, including one person nominated by the NITI Aayog (formerly Planning Commission) for each of the Zonal Councils, and each state’s Chief Secretaries and another officer/Development Commissioner.
Aim and Role of Zonal Councils
The primary objectives of the Zonal Councils include promoting national integration, addressing regionalism, fostering cooperation and exchange of ideas between the Centre and the States, and creating an environment for successful and quick execution of development projects.
Some of the key functions of these councils include handling matters of mutual interest in economic and social planning, border disputes, linguistic minorities, inter-state transport, and any issues connected with or arising from the reorganisation of states under the States Reorganisation Act.
Previous Year UPSC Civil Services Examination Question Related to Zonal Councils
In 2013, a question was asked in the UPSC Civil Services Exam, regarding bodies not mentioned in the Constitution, which included Zonal Councils. The correct answer was that the National Development Council, Planning Commission and Zonal Councils were not constitutionally recognized entities. The Zonal Councils are statutory bodies established under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 and the North-Eastern Council Act, 1972, and do not find mention in the Constitution of India. Their main aim is to foster national integration, address regional disparities and facilitate cooperation and idea exchange between the Centre and the States.
