Each Zonal Council serves as an advisory body, providing guidance on matters of common interest to the States represented within it, as well as the Union.
These councils have the authority to discuss any issue that falls within their purview and offer recommendations to both the Central Government and the relevant State Governments.
This ensures that all parties involved are well-informed and can take appropriate action to address any concerns that may arise.
About Zonal Councils:
- The idea of creation of Zonal Councils was mooted by the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1956
- This suggestion was made by Pandit Nehru at a time when linguistic hostilities and bitterness as a result of re-organisation of the States on linguistic pattern were threatening National Unity
- To solve inter-State problems and foster balanced socio-economic development of the respective zones.
- To develop the habit of cooperative working among these States Zonal Councils:
- Five Zonal Councils were set up vide Part-III of the States Re-organisation Act, 1956 – north, south, east, west and central.
- The North Eastern States i.e. (i) Assam (ii) Arunachal Pradesh (iii) Manipur (iv) Tripura (v) Mizoram (vi) Meghalaya and (vii) Nagaland are not included in the Zonal Councils
- Their special problems are looked after by the North Eastern Council, set up under the North Eastern Council Act, 1972.
- The State of Sikkim has also been included in North Eastern Council vide North Eastern Council (Amendment) Act, 2002.
- The union territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep are not members of any of the Zonal Councils but are presently special invitees to the Southern Zonal Council
Zonal Council Organisational structure:
- Chairman – The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these Councils.
- Vice Chairman – The Chief Ministers of the States included in each zone act as Vice Chairman of the Zonal Council for that zone by rotation, each holding office for a period of one year at a time.
- Members– Chief Minister and two other Ministers as nominated by the Governor from each of the States and two members from Union Territories included in the zone.
- Advisers– One person nominated by the Planning Commission for each of the Zonal Councils, Chief Secretaries and another officer/Development Commissioner nominated by each of the States included in the Zone
- Each Zonal Council has set up a Standing Committee consisting of Chief Secretaries of the member States of their respective Zonal Councils.
- Union Ministers are also invited to participate in the meetings of Zonal Councils depending upon necessity.
- Each Zonal Council shall meet at such time as the Chairman of the Council may appoint in this behalf.
- Since their inception in 1957, the Zonal Councils have met 106 times.
Zonal Council Role & Objective:
- Bringing out national integration
- Arresting the growth of acute State consciousness, regionalism, linguism and particularistic tendencies;
- Enabling the Centre and the States to co-operate and exchange ideas and experiences;
- Establishing a climate of co-operation amongst the States for successful and speedy execution of development projects.
Zonal Council Functions:
- Each Zonal Council is an advisory body and may discuss any matter in which States have a common interest and advise the Government.
- In particular, a Zonal Council may discuss, and make recommendations with regard to:
- any matter of common interest in the field of economic and social planning;
- any matter concerning border disputes, linguistic minorities or inter-State transport;
- any matter connected with or arising out of, the re-organization of the States under the State’s Reorganisation Act.