Zonal Councils

• 24 Jun 2025

Source: PIB

Why in News?

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation chaired the 25th Central Zonal Council meeting in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, organized by the Inter-State Council Secretariat in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Government.

What are Zonal Councils?

• About: Zonal Councils are statutory bodies (not constitutional) established under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, as a high-level advisory forum to foster cooperative working among states and to create a healthy inter-State and Centre–State environment.
  • The idea of Zonal Councils was first proposed by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1956 during debates on the States Reorganisation Commission’s (Fazal Ali Commission, 1953) Report.
  • Under Sections 15 to 22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, five Zonal Councils were established.
  • The North Eastern region has a separate council, the North Eastern Council, created in 1972, set up under the North Eastern Council Act, 1972.
• Composition:

Zonal Council	States
Northern Zonal Council	Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Chandigarh
Central Zonal Council	Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand
Eastern Zonal Council	Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Sikkim
Western Zonal Council	Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and Daman & Diu
Southern Zonal Council	Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry

• Organizational Structure:
  • Chairman: Union Home Minister (for all 5 Zonal Councils). He is also the ex-officio Chairman of the North Eastern Council (NEC).
  • Vice-Chairman: Chief Minister of one of the member states (by annual rotation).
  • Members: The members include the Chief Ministers, Lieutenant Governors, or Administrators of the member States and Union Territories. 
    • Additionally, from each member state, the Governor nominates two ministers as members of the Council.
  • Advisors: One nominee from NITI Aayog (earlier Planning Commission), Chief Secretaries, and Development Commissioners of the member states.
    • Each Zonal Council has a Permanent Committee comprising the Chief Secretaries of member states. State-proposed issues are first discussed by this committee, and unresolved matters are then placed before the full Zonal Council for further deliberation.
• Objectives and Functions: Zonal Councils serve as a structured platform for dialogue and coordination on issues involving two or more states or the Centre and states, promoting mutual understanding and cooperation. 
  • Though advisory in nature, they have become key instruments of cooperative federalism, with 61 meetings held in the last eleven years.
  • They discuss and address:
    • Issues, like the speedy investigation of sexual offenses and the implementation of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs).
    • Financial inclusion through brick-and-mortar banking in every village.
    • Implementation of the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112).
    • Regional matters like nutrition, education, health, electricity, urban planning, and cooperative sector development.

  UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question  

Prelims:

Q. Which of the following bodies does not/do not find mention in the Constitution? (2013)

1. National Development Council
2. Planning Commission
3. Zonal Councils

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (d)

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Mains:

Q. What changes has the Union Government recently introduced in the domain of Centre-State relations? Suggest measures to be adopted to build the trust between the Centre and the States and for strengthening federalism. (2024)