Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a meeting of the Central Zonal Council in Uttarakhand’s Narendra Nagar on Saturday, during which issues like connectivity, power, sharing of river waters and other matters of common interests will be discussed, officials said.
The Central Zonal Council comprises Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The 24th meeting of the council will discuss several issues of national importance, the officials said.
The council will discuss issues of common interests in the areas of connectivity, power, sharing of river waters and other matters of common interests, they added.
According to the established procedure and practice, the zonal council meeting is preceded by a standing committee meet of the council, in which the agenda items to be placed before the council are scrutinised and prioritised.
The BJP-led Centre has been regularly holding meetings of the zonal councils as a part of its overall strategy to strengthen and promote cooperative and competitive federalism in the country, another official said.
The regional councils provide a forum for discussion in a structured manner on issues affecting one or more states or issues between the Centre and the states.
Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the number of meetings of the zonal councils and its standing committees has increased by three times in the last eight years, the official said.
The regional councils help develop a coordinated approach through discussions and exchange of views between states on important issues of social and economic development.
The zonal councils take up issues involving the Centre and states and one or many states falling in the zone.
The zonal councils, thus, provide a forum for resolving disputes and irritants between the Centre and the states and among the states in a zone.
The meetings of the zonal councils are used by the states and Union territories to share their best practices.
The councils also discuss a broad range of issues, including boundary-related disputes, security, infrastructure-related matters such as roads, transport, industries, water and power, matters pertaining to forests and environment, housing, education, food security, tourism and transport etc.
There are five zonal councils in the country. These were set up in 1957 under sections 15 to 22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
The Union home minister is the chairman of the five zonal councils and the chief minister of the host state (to be chosen by rotation every year) is the vice-chairman.
Two more ministers from each state are nominated as members by the governor.
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