25th Central Zonal Council Meeting in Varanasi

• 25 Jun 2025

Why in News?

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation chaired the 25th Central Zonal Council meeting in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

• It was organized by the Inter-State Council Secretariat in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Government.

Key Points

Key Highlights of the Meeting:

• A resolution praising the Prime Minister's strong willpower and the Indian Armed Forces' bravery was unanimously approved by the Central Zonal Council.
• The Home Minister highlighted that the Central Zonal Council is the only zonal council where no issue or dispute exists between member states, and this is a significant achievement.
• Between 2004 and 2014, only 11 Zonal Council meetings and 14 Standing Committee meetings were held, while between 2014 and 2025, 28 Zonal Council meetings and 33 Standing Committee meetings took place, marking a twofold increase.
  • A total of 1,287 issues have been resolved in these meetings, reflecting a historic and encouraging achievement.
• A total of 19 issues were discussed including 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. 
  • The Home Minister stressed 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.
  • The Union Home Minister also urged member states to boost Gram Panchayat revenues and create rules to strengthen India's three-tier Panchayati Raj system.

Zonal Councils

• About: Zonal Councils are statutory bodies 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 seven North Eastern States are not included in the Zonal Councils and 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 the North Eastern Council vide North Eastern Council (Amendment) Act, 2002.
• Composition:

Zonal Council	States
Central Zonal Council	Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand
Northern Zonal Council	Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Chandigarh
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: 

• 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 the successful and speedy execution of development projects.

• Functions: Each Zonal Council is an advisory body and may discuss and make recommendations about-
  • 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 reorganization of the States under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.