18-Dec-2022: PM addresses meeting of North Eastern Council in Shillong

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the meeting of North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong earlier today. The meeting marks the golden jubilee celebration of the North Eastern Council, which was formally inaugurated in 1972.

Hailing the contribution of NEC in the development of the North East region, Prime Minister said that this golden jubilee celebration of the NEC coincides with the ongoing Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Underscoring that he often refers to the 8 states of the region as Asht Lakshmi, he said the government should work on 8 foundation pillars for its development, viz. Peace, Power, Tourism, 5G connectivity, Culture, Natural farming, Sports, Potential.

Prime Minister said that the Northeast is our gateway to South -East Asia and can become a centre for development of the entire region. And to realise this potential of the region, work is going on the projects like Indian-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway and Agartala-Akhaura rail project. Prime Minister highlighted that the government has gone beyond the conversion of the ‘Look East’ policy to ‘Act East’, and now its policy is ‘Act Fast for Northeast’ and ‘Act First for Northeast.’ Highlighting the success of peace initiatives in the region, he said that many peace agreements have been signed, inter-state boundary agreements have been done and there has been a marked reduction in instances of extremism.

Discussing India's commitment towards net zero, Prime Minister said Northeast can become a powerhouse of hydropower. This will make the states of the region power surplus, help in expansion of industries and generate a large number of jobs. Discussing the tourism potential of the region, he said that both culture and nature of the region are attracting tourists from across the world. He added that tourism circuits are being identified and developed in the region also. He also discussed sending students from 100 universities to Northeast, which will help bring people of different regions closer. These students can then ​​become ambassadors of the region.

Talking about boosting connectivity in the region, Prime Minister said that iconic bridge projects which were pending since several decades have now been completed. In last 8 years, number of airports in the region has jumped from 9 to 16, and the number of flights have increased from about 900 before 2014 to around 1900. Many North eastern states have come to Railway map for the first time and efforts are being done to expand the waterways also. The length of national highways has increased by 50% since 2014 in the region. He said that with the launch of the PM-DevINE scheme, the infrastructure projects in the Northeast have gained more momentum. He added that the government is also working on improving digital connectivity in the Northeast by increasing the optical fibre network. Talking about development of Aatmanirbhar 5G infrastructure, he said that 5G will help further development of startup ecosystem, service sector among others in the region. He said that the government is committed to making the Northeast not only a centre of economic growth, but also of cultural growth.

Speaking about the agriculture potential of the region, Prime Minister underlined the scope of natural farming, in which Northeast can play a leading role. He said that through Krishi UDAN, farmers of the region are able to send their products across the country and different parts of the world as well. He urged the North eastern states to participate in the ongoing National Mission on Edible Oils - Oil Palm. He also spoke how drones can help farmers overcome geographical challenges and help their produce reach the market.

Discussing the contribution of the region to the field of sports, he said that the government is working towards providing support to sportspersons of the region through development of India’s first sports university in Northeast. Also, more than 200 Khelo India Centres have been approved in the 8 states in the region, and many athletes of the region are getting benefits under the TOPS scheme.

Prime Minister also discussed India's G20 Presidency and said that its meetings would witness people from all over the world coming to the Northeast. This will be an apt opportunity to showcase the nature, culture and potential of the region, he said.

17-Dec-2022: North Eastern Council (NEC) makes significant contributions to the socio-economic development of the North Eastern region

North Eastern Council (NEC) is under the administrative purview of Ministry of Development of the North-Eastern Region (MDoNER). Established by an Act of the Parliament in 1971 (Act No. 84 of 1971), NEC was formally inaugurated on 7th November, 1972 at Shillong, Meghalaya, marking the beginning of a new chapter of concerted and planned endeavor on the part of the Government of India for the North Eastern Region. Originally consisting of the seven states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura, Sikkim was included as the eighth member state through the NEC (Amendment) Act, 2002 (68 of 2002).

NEC has made significant contributions to the socio-economic development of the North Eastern region, as an Advisory body and as a Planning body. Some of the most iconic Institutions of the North Eastern Region such as the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal; North East Police Academy (NEPA), Shillong; North East Region Institute of Water and Land Management (NERIWALM), Tezpur; North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC), Shillong; Dr. Bhubaneswar Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) Guwahati etc. have been set up with NEC support. Besides, NEC has supported significant capital and infrastructure development investment – over 11,500 km of Roads have been constructed, 694 MW of power generating capacity installed, approximately 9,000 Ckt-km of transmission and distribution lines erected. NEC has also taken up the improvement of connectivity infrastructure – 5 major airports in collaboration with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and 11 Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) projects and Four Inter-State Truck Terminus (ISTT) projects – across different States in the NE Region, to ease out interstate trade and movement of people.

NEC has created valuable capital and social infrastructure, especially in critical gap areas across Education, Health, Sports, Water Resources, Agriculture, Tourism and Industries etc. sectors, in all the States of the Region. This has greatly benefitted the North Eastern Region and built immense goodwill for the Council among the local population. A third-party evaluation of the Schemes of NEC conducted in 2019-20 indicated that over all the projects are planned and conceived well in keeping with the needs and demands of the place it is to be implemented and that a majority of the on-going projects are delivering or will deliver the intended and planned results/ objectives.

The policy deliberations at the NEC are conducted at the Plenary meetings of the Council. Since 1972, the NEC Plenary has been held in various North Eastern States and the national capital on seventy occasions. The deliberations of the Plenaries, which include suggestions and recommendations by the Governors and Chief Ministers of the North Eastern States, have informed and influenced policies and interventions by both the Central and State Governments. Following the deliberations of the 65th NEC Plenary Session at Shillong in 2016, NEC has taken steps to setup a state-of-the-art resource centre, equipped with the necessary resources, knowledge and skills, to augment the efforts of the States and the implementing agencies to plan and execute projects, promote research & innovations and provide strategic policy vision for the region. The APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for Policy Research and Analysis was set up under IIM-Shillong in October 2016, and the North East Resource Centre in the NEC in December 2021. 

As per the decision at the 70th Plenary meeting held at Guwahati in October 2022, the Golden Jubilee of the NEC is being now celebrated in a befitting manner in Shillong on the 18th December 2022 – where an official meeting of the NEC and another public meeting are being organized. The official internal meeting of the Council and selected invitees to be held at the State Convention Centre Auditorium, Shillong, will be graced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister as the Chief Guest. Later on the same day, approximately 10,000 people, including prominent persons, achievers, representatives of Self-Help Groups and Farmers’ Groups and common citizen from all the eight NE States, are expected to join the public meeting to be held at the Polo Grounds, Shillong.

On this momentous occasion, a commemorative volume chronicling NEC’s contribution towards the development of the North Eastern Region over the last fifty years will be released by the Hon’ble Chief Guest. It will document the journey of the NEC and its role in the development of the Region in 12 chapters, capturing its ongoing interventions and including a chapter on the vision of the NEC.

For promotion of Hindi, NEC has taken up the initiative to support State Universities and Government Colleges in the North Eastern states for setting up and strengthening of Hindi Sections in Libraries in their own campuses. The 21 Hindi Libraries being supported in 5 states in the first phase are planned for inauguration during the Golden Jubilee celebrations. Apart from the above, infrastructure and development projects with a total cost of nearly 2500 crore are either being inaugurated or foundation-stone being laid by the Hon’ble Prime Minister during the Golden Jubilee celebrations.

9-Oct-2022: Day 2 of The Plenary Session of North Eastern Council Concludes with A Strategic Roadmap Ahead

The Plenary meeting of North Eastern Council that had started on the 8th October, 2022 concluded on a high note under the Chairmanship of the Union Minister for Home Affairs & Co-operation and Chairman of NEC, Shri Amit Shah.

The eminent dignitaries included Hon’ble Minister for MDoNER, Tourism and Culture & Vice-chairman of NEC, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Hon’ble MoS and Member of NEC Shri B.L. Verma, Hon’ble Governors & Hon’ble Chief Ministers of North Eastern Region, Deputy CMs, Key Officers from Central & State Departments. All the eminent dignitaries were felicitated by Secretary, NEC, Shri K. Moses Chalai.

Hon’ble Governors from NER States put forward their suggestions and feedbacks that would further bolster the roadmap of development in North Eastern Region.

Hon’ble CMs & Deputy CMs from NER also graced the Plenary and spoke on further galvanizing the partnership between Centre & State for the collective growth and prosperity of the Nation.

The Day 2 meeting focused on confirmation of the Proceedings and Tabling of the Action Taken Report of the 69th Plenary meeting that took place in January 2021 and Report on Progress of Afforestation in North Eastern States.

The Plenary meeting reviewed the status of different ongoing social & developmental projects in North Eastern Region. State Governments and Central Ministries working hand in hand to create a strategic roadmap ahead.

Secretary, MDoNER, Shri Lok Ranjan shared the deliberations & discussions that was shared on Day 1 of the Plenary. it included:

1. Vision and Strategy for North Eastern Region as Growth Engine.
2. Presentations on 'Priorities & Success Stories' of their respective states and deliberated upon important themes such as 'Regional Planning for-Telecom, Broadband & Internet Connectivity’s Primary Sector Development and Tourism'.
3. Empowering the MSME Sector & SHGs, Agriculture, Horticulture & Industries with the vision to fulfill Aatmanirbhar Bharat
4. Collaboration between NGOs & Private Stakeholders in the field of Education & Healthcare Sector.

Secretary, NEC, Shri K. Moses Chalai said that North Eastern Council has completed 50 years and proposed the golden Jubilee Celebrations in NER.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri G. Kishan Reddy said that the Development of North East India is pivotal to the Development of our Country. Be it railways, roadways, waterways, airways and telecommunications, North East India is developing across every sector and Government of India under the visionary leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji has prioritized the development of North East India on every front. The Union Council of Ministers have been regularly visiting NER to bridge the distance between Citizens & Governance. Shri Reddy said that all stakeholders that the Centre and State will come together in this developmental roadmap and MDoNER will support them in every effort towards the development of the region.

Encouraging the young brilliant minds in North East India, Hon’ble Dignitaries felicitated the winners of Class 12th Board Examinations with NEC Netaji Awards.

On the occasion, Shri Amit Shah launched NEHHDC Mobile Application that is dedicated to the artisans & weavers of North East India. Through this mobile application, NEHHDC can register its artisans and weavers online, collect authentic data. It will provide training through specially designed online courses & help them with redress grievances. The app will apprise them on important Government schemes, initiatives & upcoming events.

In his speech, Hon’ble Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that under the leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji, Government has worked with a focused approach towards ensuring peace and boosting Connectivity in the region over the last 8 years. Special measures are being taken that initiatives, schemes or services from the Centre reaches the last citizen of North East India. He assured all stakeholders and partners from all the 8 states that their suggestions and feedbacks would be taken for the milestone delivery of various schemes to every last citizen of North East India. Talking about NESAC, Shri Amit Shah underlined its crucial role in the development of North East India as key focus areas like tourism, agriculture, connectivity will get significant boost with Space Science & Technology.

Concluding the Session, C.H. Shri C.H. Kharsiing, Planning Adviser, #NEC gave the vote of thanks to all of the eminent dignitaries.

“India will only gain if the North East gains. Yeh Bharat ke bhagya ko badalne ki ashta lakshmi hai: With this vision of Hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region is actively working towards strengthening the unlimited potential of '#AshtaLakshmi*, our 8 North Eastern States.

8-Oct-2022: Day 1 of the 70th Plenary Session of North Eastern Council Concludes on a Positive Note.

The 70th Plenary Session of North Eastern Council (NEC), is being held in Guwahati, Assam on 8th & 9th October, 2022. The session was chaired by  Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Tourism & Culture, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, MoS for DoNER & Co-operation, Shri B.L. Verma and members of NEC consisting of  Governors and Chief Ministers of the 8 North-Eastern states and other members. The other dignitaries would include Senior Officials from the Centre, key Ministries of the GoI & States and Chief Secretaries of the 8 states.

Minister, MDoNER, Shri G. Kishan Reddy along with MoS Shri B.L. Verma, Respected Secretary, MDoNER, Shri Lok Ranjan, Respected Secretary, NEC, Shri K. Moses Chalai reviewed the preparedness and modalities for the 70th Plenary Session of NEC in Guwahati.

During the two-day session there will be presentations from the Ministry of DoNER, NEC, the State Governments as well as selected Central Ministries on various developmental initiatives and future plans for the North East Region. The Plenary is expected to review the status of different projects in NER, deliberate and fastrack the progress of ongoing projects, confirmation of the proceedings of the 69th Plenary meeting, outlays by Central Ministries in the North Eastern Region and plans for the period of the financial year 2022-23 & beyond.

The Day 1 meetings focused on a variety of aspects related to the development of North Eastern Region, followed by addresses by Dignitaries. There were sessions on Vision and Strategy for NER as Growth Engine, Aligned Vision along with the plan of NEC & its organizations.

 State Chief Secretaries from all over NER made their presentation on 'Priorities & Success Stories' of their respective states and deliberated upon important themes such as 'Regional Planning for-Telecom, Broadband & Internet Connectivity, Primary Sector Development and Tourism.

The post-tea part of the event included sessions on Off Farm Livelihoods, Community Capacity & Services, Village Level Planning and Saturation and Comprehensive Overview of Financing the development in the Region. The Day 1 Session was wrapped up after taking note of key takeaways and feedback by the government representatives. This was followed by a Cultural Program and Dinner.

Addressing senior officials from all the eight North Eastern States and central ministries, Minister Shri G. Kishan Reddy highlighted that efforts are underway in the visionary leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji, who is working relentlessly to bring peace & prosperity in the North Eastern Region. He underlined that North East India has entered its ‘Amrit Samay’ and all of the stakeholders, be it Centre or State need to take complete advantage of this and awaken all possibilities of growth and development within the region.

Secretary, MDoNER, Shri Lok Ranjan welcomed all the dignitaries to the Plenary Session and made his presentation on 'Vision and Strategy for NER as Growth Engine of our Country' highlighting the recent reforms undertaken and the focus sector for sustainable and accelerated development of the region.

22-Dec-2021: Development of Horticulture at East Garo Hills, Meghalaya by North Eastern Council (NEC), to ensure employment

Horticulture Development at Nokrek Region, East Garo Hills, Meghalaya by North Eastern Council (NEC), MDoNER to ensure direct and indirect employment to the villagers and surroundings areas.

In order to ensure, direct and indirect employment to the villagers and surroundings areas North Eastern Council (NEC), MDoNER have implemented a project for Horticulture Development at Nokrek Region, East Garo Hills, Meghalaya through Department of Horticulture, Govt. of Meghalaya at a total cost of Rs. 439.94  lakhs with State Contributing Rs, 44 Lakhs out of the total project cost. The project got completed on 4th March, 2020.

The Project aims to provide direct and indirect employment to the villagers and surrounding areas. By practicing multiple cropping there will be increased in the cropping intensity which results better land use and increased productivity. The hi-tech green house and drip irrigation system will be introduced in the area. It will promote agriculture entrepreneurship thereby reducing series of middleman in marketing. Hence, it envisages providing direct and indirect income generation among the farmers.

7-Oct-2021: NERCRMS bringing Waves of Transformation in North East Region of India

North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Society (NERCRMS) is a registered society under the aegis of North Eastern Council, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region. The society is dedicated towards the transformation of far flung rural areas of North Eastern Region (NER) of India through different livelihood initiatives. The society, so far has covered four states of NER viz. Arunachal Pradesh (Changlang, Tirap and Longding districts), Assam  Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts), Manipur (Ukhrul, Senapati, Churachandpur and Chandel districts ) and Meghalaya (West Garo Hills and West Khasi Hills districts). The society, since 1999, has formed 8,403 SHGs (Self Help Groups) and 2,889 NaRMGs (Natural Resource Management Groups) in 2,532 villages benefiting 1,18,843 households through its project- North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project (NERCORMP).

The society adopted a holistic approach of development with two broad focus areas i.e. (i) social mobilization, organization and capacity building to tap and realize the great latent potential of the communities by employing time tested their traditional value systems and culture, and (ii) Intervene with the economic and social activities and infrastructure with predominant thrust on income generating activities to achieve economic transformation.

The strategy adopted to achieve the goals is:

1. Capacity building of communities and participating agencies: Institutional strengthening of community-based organisations (CBOs) and strengthening the capacity of participating agencies viz. NGOs, line depts. etc. on participatory planning, organisational and financial management, technical training on farm and non-farm activities, monitoring etc.
2. Economic and livelihood activities: Promote viable income generation activities (IGAs) for poor households through production of field crops, horticulture, forestry, livestock, fisheries, and non-farm activities using sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. Also to support communities with introduction of new technologies, credit/revolving fund to CBOs for internal lending etc.
3. Social sector development: The specific objective of this component was to provide communities access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation. This was to be achieved by constructing drinking water storage tanks, piped supply of water from a nearby spring or stream and construction of low cost toilets (LCL) with community participation.
4. Rural Roads and Rural Electrification: With the objective to enhance communities’ access to markets, health services, education facilities and energy, the component sought to construct common facility centres (CFCs), inter village roads, culverts and suspension bridges and provide home solar lighting systems.
5. Community-based Bio-diversity Conservation & Communication: The specific objective is to protect and preserve the unique natural resources and rich bio-diversity of the region. The sub-components to achieve this objective were: (i) bio-diversity conservation and research aimed at promoting community conserved areas (CCAs) as sacred groves, protected catchment areas and sanctuaries, (ii) forestry development to promote and demonstrate environmentally sustainable non-timber forest products (NTFP) and forestry production systems, and (iii) communication and knowledge management to facilitate information and knowledge sharing on good practices and production systems between communities.

5-Oct-2021: Ministry of DoNER organises a workshop on “The Changing Role of North Eastern Council in the Development of North Eastern Region (NER)” in Shillong

Shri G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Culture and Tourism was on a two-day official visit to Meghalaya and Assam. As a part of the Meghalaya leg of his visit, the Union Minister reviewed several development works and ongoing projects of the North Eastern Council (NEC) and North East Road Sector Development Scheme (NERSDS). He attended the review meeting at the NEC Secretariat in Shillong, Meghalaya along with Minister of State Shri B.L Verma, Secretary Ministry of DoNER Shri Lok Ranjan, Secretary North Eastern Council Shri Moses Chalai and other officials and dignitaries.

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy also attended a workshop titled “The Changing Role of North Eastern Council in the Development of North Eastern Region (NER)” organised at the Conference Auditorium of the NEC, Shillong. The chief guest of the event was Hon’ble Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu. The event was also attended by the Governor Shri Satya Pal Malik, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya Shri Conrad Sangma, Minister of State DoNER Shri B.L Verma, Secretary DoNER Shri Lok Ranjan, Secretary NEC Shri Moses Chelai and other dignitaries of the North Eastern States, the academic fraternity and other officials. During his address G Kishan Reddy on behalf of the Ministry of DoNER thanked the Vice President Sri M. Venkaiah Naidu for taking time out from his busy schedule and constitutional responsibilities to travel to the Ashthalaxmi states for an entire week. He said, “Sir, it is a great pleasure to have you amongst us and this passion to be with people makes you one of the most active Vice Presidents that this country has seen. Even as a Cabinet Minister you have always worked towards the development of the North Eastern Region”.

“Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji’s commitment to the North Eastern Council is well known through his actions. In 2016 he was the first Prime Minister in 40 years to attend the Northeast Council meetings when he addressed the 65th plenary”, the Union Minister added. During his address G Kishan Reddy ji also stressed on the initiatives undertaken by the government to enhance infrastructure and connectivity through better roads, railways and air in the North East. He said “As a part of the Capital rail connectivity project, cities of 3 North East States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura are already connected with the main Indian Railways network.  The work of connecting the remaining 5 capitals is under progress. As a part of air connectivity 2 major capital greenfield air connectivity projects are also being undertaken in NER”. The Union Minister also spoke about the agriculture push that the Government is giving in the NER. He said “The two recent cabinet decisions of the National Mission on Edible Oils for Oil Palm and the revival of the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC) will provide a major boost to the agriculture sector of the North East Region.

G Kishan Reddy also lauded the efforts of the North Eastern Council and said “In its 50 years of existence the North Eastern Council has played a key role in the development of the NER. The NEC has taken rapid strides in realising the vision of Shri Narendra Modi Ji. Hence today’s workshop is an important event for all of us. The Changing role of NEC will be shaped by what we aspire for the North East Region”.

The Union Minister along with Hon’ble Vice President of India Shri  Venkaiah Naidu ji, Governor Shri Satya Pal Malik and  Chief Minister of Meghalaya Shri Conrad Sangma ji attended a cultural programme showcasing the traditions, culture & folklore of Meghalaya at Raj Bhavan, Shillong.

4-Oct-2021: Vice President asks North-Eastern Council to propel the NE region on a phase of accelerated development

The Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu today advised the North-Eastern Council to propel the NE region on a resurgent phase of accelerated development by quickly resolving issues that have been impeding its progress.

Addressing a Workshop on "Changing Role of North-Eastern Council in the Development of North-Eastern Region" at Shillong, the Vice President pointed out that India’s progress cannot be complete if there was uneven progress in various regions. “If the northeast region progresses, India progresses…If the region lags behind, India lags behind”, he observed.

He suggested to the North Eastern States to share best practices in various fields and derive mutual benefit. “India should work as Team India- Centre, States and Local bodies working together on developmental issues to find solutions”, Shri Naidu said.

While lauding the NE Council for its creditable achievements, he said “we cannot merely rest on our past laurels. We certainly have many miles to go”. He said this was the right time to revisit the approaches of the Council as it braces up to meet the challenges of the winds of change that need to be harnessed in the interest of the North-Eastern Region and its people.

Stating that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Bhai Modi has embarked on a path of reform in all spheres with a view to improve performance and productivity, Shri Naidu said that ease of doing business and ease of living are key objectives. “Working with a sense of urgency has become the norm”, he added.

He said that from conceptualization of a policy or programme to its implementation, clear processes and timelines are drawn for meeting the goals in time and ensuring the delivery of intended benefits to the targeted. Citing various initiatives including Swachch Bharat Mission and ‘Housing for All’ in this regard, the Vice President expressed confidence that the North-Eastern Council will also be guided by this new ethos and policy environment.

“We cannot afford to go slow. We cannot be satisfied with poor quality. We have to constantly strive to be better than the best”, he exhorted.

In this context, the Vice President stressed the need for ensuring accountability & transparency in every programme and said that schemes like Direct Benefit Transfer would go a long way in ensuring benefits reach to every intended beneficiary.

As the country celebrates 75 years of independence and plans for the next 25 years, he stressed the need to eliminate extreme poverty, reduce disparities, narrow rural-urban development gaps, revamp the education system and ramp up public health infrastructure, while building a healthy, educated, skilled and inclusive Atmanirbhar India.

The Vice President said, “Ours is an aspirational India. And the vibrant northeast region, with a population of around 45 million, has its own dreams to be realized”. The North East Council can be an effective instrument to bring coherence to these dreams, strategize, plan, catalyze and coordinate the implementation in conjunction with the State governments, he added.

Terming the creation of the Council as a seminal landmark redefining the approach towards the development of the North-Eastern Region, he listed out some of its achievements, including the construction of more than 11,000 KMs of Roads; 10,340 KMs of power transmission and distribution lines and setting up of iconic institutions, among others.

Expressing his happiness over the perceptible change in the economy of the region over the past six-seven years, he said the Per Capita Net State Domestic Product of all the states has grown significantly.

While there has been overall progress in the economic and human development profile, Shri Naidu wanted the Council to focus on bridging the gaps in respect of socio-economic development and said the North-Eastern Region Social Development Goals Index, 2021-22 released by the Niti Aayog provides clear direction in this regard. The Index is an effective tool for monitoring progress and identifying necessary interventions. The Council should analyze the data and recast its plans to address the current and emerging challenges.

Maintaining that insurgency and the attendant violence that proved to be the bane of the region for a long time is on the decline, he reiterated that peace is absolutely necessary for fast tracking development of North Eastern Region. “Dialogue is the only way forward to resolve any problem. We are one country, states should be in constant dialogue to resolve any issues”, he added.

He said the youth of the region, like their counterparts in other parts of the country, are keen to write a new chapter in the history of our country. They have to be given opportunities and encouragement through concrete actions, he remarked.

Recalling that the 69th Plenary meeting of the Council held in January this year had identified two key issues of resolving inter-state border disputes and attracting private investments, the Vice President said private investment needs to be promoted through encouraging entrepreneurship, venture funds, start-ups and skill development.

Later, the Vice President attended a cultural program at Raj Bhawan, followed by an interaction with achievers in various fields from the state of Meghalaya.

Shri Conrad Sangma, Chief Minister Of Meghalaya, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Minister, Ministry Of DoNER, Shri B.L. Verma, Minister Of State, Ministry Of DoNER, Shri Lok Ranjan, Secretary, Ministry Of DoNER, Shri K. Moses Chalai, Secretary, North Eastern Council and other dignitaries were present at the event.

24-Jan-2021: 69th Plenary of the North Eastern Council concludes

The 69th Plenary of the North Eastern Council which was inaugurated by the Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah on 23rd Jan, 2021 came to a successful conclusion today.

The two-day NEC Plenary focussed on all-round developmental plans for the North-Eastern Region and discussed about the progresses made so far of the various projects that have been implemented in the region. Augmenting investments and improving rankings on ease of doing business also got deliberated upon prominently. In various technical sessions, discussion centred on the developmental projects related to livelihood, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, connectivity and other related areas in the North-East.

Addressing the valedictory session, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of developing the Northeast region and bringing it to the level of the other developed States.

Dr Jitendra Singh acknowledged that the Northeast has been put on a fast track of development under the leadership of the Prime Minister during the last six-seven years and this bears evidence in the form of the unanimous opinion across the country that Northeast has been put on a very fast track. He also added that the expectation is very high and the Prime Minister wanted to achieve more than what have been achieved so far. He expressed his belief that with the dedication of all the states and the different Ministries, Northeast will be able to overcome all challenges in the near future. He said that he takes pride in having been able to walk the talk and live up to the expectations, in fact, rising above all other expectations with the help of the DoNER Ministry’s colleagues and all the stakeholders.

Dr Jitendra Singh patiently heard the presentations that were made by the senior officials of various ministries and departments of the Central Government and requested the Secretaries of the Ministries to offer all possible assistance to the states of the North East.

Dr Jitendra Singh added that the North Eastern Region will lead the growth story of India, when the rest of the world is looking for economic resurgence through trade in post-pandemic times. Dr Singh also said that the North-Eastern region will be one of the favourite business destinations of India post-COVID-19 and bamboo is going to be the key pillar of the economic activities. He however asked all the states to equip themselves up to make optimum use of the favourable condition that the North East will have during the Post COVID period.

The Minister urged all the states to utilise the funds that have been allotted by various ministries so that the benefits of the schemes reach to the last person. The Minister said that the rate of utilisation of funds under NEC has been encouraging and hoped that funds under other ministries allotted to the region shall also be brought to optimum utilisation.

25-Jun-2019: Dr Jitendra Singh releases 3rd issue of Newsletter of North Eastern Council

The Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C) Dr Jitendra Singh released the third issue of Newsletter of North Eastern Council (NEC) Shillong, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER). The Secretary, NEC, Shri Ram Muivah and Secretary (DoNER) Dr Inderjit Singh were also present on the occasion. The Newsletter released today highlighted some of the initiatives taken by the North Eastern Council during July, 2018 to March, 2019. The Newsletter is to be uploaded on the NEC website at www.necouncil.gov.in.

While releasing the newsletter, Dr Jitendra Singh complimented the officers and staff of M/o DoNER and NEC for their efforts to improve the living condition of North Eastern States of the country. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, the development of NE states has been on the priority of the Government. He added that the newly sworn-in Government is also committed to continue with the legacy of the development efforts of the last five years and work in the direction of improving infrastructure and living standards of NE people. In July, 2018, the NEC has been restructured through the nomination of the Home Minister as Chairman, NEC and the MoS (I/C) DoNER as the Vice-Chairman, NEC.  Dr Jitendra Singh disclosed that Union Minister Shri Amit Shah will chair the plenary session of NEC on 3rd and 4th August in Guwahati.

The North Eastern Council (NEC) was established by North Eastern Council Act, 1971 initially as apex level advisory body for securing balanced and coordinated development and facilitating effective co-ordination amongst seven States of North Eastern Region. Subsequent to the amendment of NEC Act in December, 2002, Sikkim was added as 8th Member State, and NEC was mandated to function as a statutory Regional Planning Body for the North Eastern Region.

Over the last forty-seven years, NEC has been instrumental in setting up various iconic Institutes in the Region such as NEPA, NEEPCO, NERAMAC, NERIST, RIPAN, NERIWALM, RIMS etc.

Some of the major achievements of NEC are as under:

• Since its inception, NEC has focused on improving connectivity of the region which has been a major bottleneck for all developmental activities. In its endeavour, the Council has contributed immensely towards the improvement of the inter-state connectivity in the Region. A total of 10,911 kms of roads have been constructed with the NEC funding and handed over to the States for maintenance.
• NEC has till date supported the installation of 694.5 MW of power plants and construction of 9202 circuit km of transmission & distribution lines.
• NEC has also undertaken development work in various sectors like education, healthcare, agriculture, horticulture, tourism, industries etc.
• Eleven Inter-State Bus terminus (ISBT) projects have been taken up across different States to ease out inter-state movement of people. Nine of these have been completed and two are under construction in Meghalaya and Manipur. To facilitate movement of essential goods, three numbers of Inter State Truck Terminus (2 in Assam and 1 in Nagaland) have been completed.
• Since inception, NEC has contributed for the up-gradation/strengthening of the infrastructure of the existing Airports in the region. Improvement of the infrastructure in 5 major airports of the Regions namely, Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Imphal and Umroi have been taken up in collaboration with Airport Authority of India on 60:40 (60% by NEC and 40% by AAI) basis. Out of these, the work for construction of 3 number of Hangers and Apron at LGBI Airport, Guwahati and Extension of Apron at Jorhat Airport have been completed.
• The restructuring of NEC was undertaken with a view to have a forum to discuss issues such as boundary disputes, drug trafficking, smuggling of arms and ammunition, etc. which are usually discussed in the other Zonal Councils. The NE States are not part of any Zonal Council.

The Council is normally expected to meet at least twice in a year. The first Plenary Meeting of Restructured NEC (67th  Plenary since inception) was held under the then Home Minister & Chairman, NEC on 8-9 July, 2018 at Shillong. The next Plenary meeting of NEC will be held in Guwahati (Assam) in August this year.

13-Jun-2018: Cabinet approves Repositioning of North Eastern Council

The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) for the nomination of the Union Home Minister as ex-officio Chairman of North Eastern Council (NEC) - a statutory body with Governors and Chief Ministers of all the eight North Eastern States as its Member. The Cabinet also approved that Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of DoNER would serve as Vice Chairman of the Council.

Impact: NEC implements various projects through the State and Central agencies. Under the new arrangement with Home Minister as Chairman and Minister of DoNER as Vice Chairman, NEC and all the Governors and Chief Ministers of North Eastern States as Member would provide a forum for discussing inter-state matters more comprehensively and also consider common approaches to be taken in future.

NEC can now also perform the tasks undertaken by the various Zonal Councils to discuss such inter-State issues as drug trafficking, smuggling of arms and ammunition, boundary disputes etc.

This repositioning of NEC will help it to become a more effective body for the North Eastern Region.

The Council shall, from time to time, review the implementation of the projects/schemes included in the project; recommend effective measures for coordination among the state Governments for these projects etc. The Council shall have such powers as may be delegated to it by the Central Government.

Background: NEC was established under the North Eastern Council Act, 1971 as an apex level body for securing balanced and coordinated development and facilitating coordination with the States. Subsequent to the Amendment of 2002, NEC has been mandated to function as a regional planning body for the North Eastern Area and while formulating a regional plan for this area, shall give priority to the schemes and projects benefiting two or more states provided that in the case of Sikkim, the Council shall formulate specific projects and schemes for that State.

17-Dec-2022: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah presided over the 25th Eastern Zonal Council meeting in Kolkata today

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah presided over the 25th Eastern Zonal Council meeting in Kolkata today. The meeting was attended by the Chief Ministers of West Bengal and Jharkhand, the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and Ministers from Odisha and other senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the States under the Council.

In his inaugural address, the Union Home Minister said that in the last 8 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than 1,000 issues were discussed in the meetings of the Zonal Councils and 93 percent of them were resolved, which is a huge achievement. He said that in the 8 years from 2006 to 2013, a total of 6 meetings of the Zonal Councils were held (an average of less than one meeting per year), but in the 8 years since 2014, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a total of 23 meetings (including today's meeting) have been held (an average of 3 meetings per year). Shri Shah said that there has been a significant increase in the frequency of meetings of the Zonal Council and these results are visible, which has been possible with the cooperation of all the State Governments, Central Ministries and Departments and in this the Inter-State Council Secretariat is playing an active role.

Shri Amit Shah said that the Union government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done a lot of work in the past years in the direction of developing infrastructure in the States of the Eastern region. He said that States of the Eastern region have a major share in the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Gati Shakti Scheme, as Shri Modi has always given thrust on the development of this region. Shri Shah said that in the next 25 years, during the Azadi ka Amrit Kaal, the Eastern region of the country will play an important role in the development of India. Shri Shah said, the 25th Eastern Zonal Council meeting was held in a good and positive atmosphere, consensus was reached on many issues, while pending issues will also be resolved through consultations.

The Union Home Minister said that Left Wing Extremism has almost been eliminated from the Eastern region of the country and efforts should be made to sustain this decisive dominance over Left Wing Extremism. He stressed that efforts should be sustained as extremism should not re-emerge in LWE-free States and that these States should develop at par with other parts of the country. The Union Home Minister urged the Chief Minister to ensure the creation of a district-level structure of the NCORD mechanism and its regular meetings for the prevention of narcotics. He said the fight against drugs in the country is now at a crucial stage and there is a need to accelerate the campaign against drugs with the help of Artificial Intelligence.

3-Sep-2022: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah chaired  the 30th Southern Zonal Council meeting in Thiruvananthapuram today

The Union Minister for Home and Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, chaired the 30th Southern Zonal Council meeting in Thiruvananthapuram today. The meeting was attended by the Chief Ministers of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, the Lieutenant Governors of Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Administrator of Lakshadweep, Chief Secretaries of Southern Zonal Council States, Union Home Secretary, Secretary Inter-State Council Secretariat and other Senior officials of State and Central Ministries and Departments.

The Union Home and Cooperation Minister in his opening address extended ‘Onam’ greetings to the people of Kerala- the abode of natural beauty. He said Onam is a major festival not only of Kerala but of Indian culture.

Shri Amit Shah said this year is very important in the history of the country as this year is being celebrated as the year of Azadi ka  Amrit Mahotsav. He said that in the 'Har Ghar Tricolor' campaign launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, countryman rose above their State affiliations, caste, religion and set an excellent example of unity and patriotism by hoisting the tricolor in their homes. Shri Shah thanked all the States  for celebrating the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. He said that for the bright future of the country, everyone needs to work together to bring this spirit of patriotism at the ground level in the next eleven months of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

The Union Home Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the nature of the Zonal Councils has changed in the last eight years and the number of its meetings has increased significantly. Before 2014, the zonal councils used to have an average of two meetings in a year, which this government has increased to 2.7. On an average, the Standing Committees used to have 1.4 sittings, this government has also almost doubled this to 2.75. Prior to 2014, the percentage of issues resolved in the meetings of the Zonal Councils was 43, now it has increased to 64 percent. Between 2006 and 2013, 104 issues were discussed in the zonal council meetings, from 2014 to 2022, 555 issues were discussed and 64 percent of these were resolved by mutual consent. He said out of the 9 coastal States, 4 States and 4 out of 3 Union Territories are members of the Southern Zonal Council, which means that out of the total 7,500 kms long coastline ,about 4,800 kms coastline comes under these States. Shri Shah said out of 12 major ports of India, 7 major ports are in this region. With this, now out of the total 3,461 fishing villages in India, 1,763 fishing villages are in this zone and there is immense potential for increasing trade and export of marine products.

Shri Amit Shah said the Prime Minister has a special attachment to Southern India, that is why after becoming the Prime Minister in 2014, Shri Narendra Modi, along with the Sagarmala Project has started various schemes for the upgradation of major ports for the development of coastal States. Out of these, 108 projects worth Rs. 76,000 crore have been completed while 98 projects worth Rs. 13,2000 crore are under implementation. Thus in total projects worth more than Rs. 2,00,000 crore are being implemented under Sagarmala for coastal States. He said 61 projects are under implementation at a tune of Rs. 7,737 crore for the overall development of coastal districts. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana is being run for the Blue Revolution. Since 2015, Rs. 4,206 crore has been sanctioned for the Fisheries Infrastructure Development Fund Scheme in the Southern States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. In Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh 56 projects have been approved for the development of basic infrastructure of ports and fisheries in the States at a cost of Rs. 2,711 crore.

The Union Home Minister said that in the 30th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council held in Thiruvananthapuram today, 26 issues were discussed, 9 issues were resolved, 17 issues were reserved for further consideration, out of which 9 issues were related to the reorganization of Andhra Pradesh. Shri Shah urged Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to settle their pending issues, which will not only benefit the people of their States but will also lead to all-round development of the entire Southern region. He called upon all the member States of the Council to find a joint solution to the issues related to sharing of water. Shri Shah said that in the 12th meeting of its Standing Committee, a total of 89 issues were discussed and out of this 63 issues were settled by mutual agreement which is a significant achievement.

The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said  the main objectives of the Zonal Council meeting are – amicable settlement of disputes between the Centre and the States and inter-State through mutual agreement, promotion of regional cooperation between States, providing a forum for all States to brainstorm on issues of common national importance and setting up a collaboration system for strengthening cooperation among all stakeholders. Shri Shah said that for the all-round development of the country, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has put the concept of Team India before the nation and all the States together form Team India.

Shri Amit Shah said that the Ministry of Home Affairs has tried to crack down on the problem of Narcotics with utmost strictness. He stressed on holding regular meetings of NCORD from all the States and taking them to the district level. Shri Shah informed that QR-enabled PVC Aadhar cards have been given to more than 12 lakh fishermen. This will not only give recognition to the fishermen of the coastal States but will also strengthen coastal security. The Home Minister said that a policy for establishing forensic science labs has been prepared and sent to the States. This will increase the  Conviction Rate. He said that the target of the Modi government is to have a bank branch in every five kilometres, for this, the member States of the Southern Zonal Council should make efforts to provide banking facilities within five kilometers of every village in their area and persuade cooperative banks to open branches. This will help in delivering the benefits of government schemes directly to beneficiaries through DBT.

22-Aug-2022: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah chaired the 23rd meeting of Central Zonal Council in Bhopal

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah chaired the 23rd meeting of Central Zonal Council in Bhopal today. Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami attended the meeting, while Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath and Chief Minister of  Chhattisgarh, Shri Bhupesh Baghel attended the meeting through virtual medium. Senior Ministers of member States, Union Home Secretary, Secretaries of Inter-State Council Secretariat, Chief Secretaries of Member States and senior officials of State Governments and Central Ministries and Departments were also present in the meeting.

In his address, the Union Home Minister said that Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh, are important for their geographical location, contribution to GDP and development of the country. Earlier these States were considered as BIMARU States, but now they are moving out of it and are on the path of development. He said that the Central Zonal Council States are major centers of food grain production and have taken the concept of ‘Team India’ of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to the ground.

Shri Amit Shah said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has always worked to strengthen the spirit of cooperative federalism. In the last 8 years after becoming the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has kept the concept of ‘Team India’  before the Nation and made it possible. Frequency of meetings of the Zonal Council have increased. He said that the increase in the number of meetings despite the Covid-19 emphasize on the concept of Team India of the Prime Minister. Shri Amit Shah also said that there has been a 27 percent increase in resolving issues in the Zonal Council meetings since 2019, which is a great achievement.

The Union Home Minister said that although the role of the Regional Council meetings is advisory, but on the basis of the experience of three years as Home Minister, he can say that by giving importance to the meetings of the Council and its Standing Committee, many issues have been addressed. 30 issues were discussed in the last meeting of the Central Zonal Council, out of which 26 issues have been resolved, while in the 14th meeting of the Standing Committee held on January 17, 2022, out of  54,  36 issues have already been resolved. He said, a total of 18 issues were discussed in today's meeting, out of which 15 were resolved, which is a great achievement. Mr. Shah said that with the increasing in the frequency of the meetings of the Council, exchange of good practices between the States is taking place. This not only gives inspiration to other States, but also creates better and healthy relations between the Centre and States, many issues between States are resolved through dialogue and the spirit of mutual cooperation between Sates has also strengthened.

The Union Home Minister said that after the formation of the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in the country, along with dealing strictly with the problem of Left Wing Extremism in the Naxalite affected areas included in the Central Zonal Council, many important steps have been taken for development in these areas. He said that it has yielded good results. When Left Wing Extremist violence was at its peak in 2009, the number of incidents of Left Wing Extremist was 2,258 which decreased to 509 in 2021. He said since 2019 the incidents of Left Wing Extremism have come down very rapidly. In 2009, 1,005 people died in militant violence, while in 2021, 147 people were killed. Shri Shah said that there has also been a decrease in Left Wing Extremist violence at police stations during this period, from 96 such incidents in 2009 it came down to 46 in 2021. He said the Central Government is further strengthening security forces in Left Wing Extremism-affected areas and filling gaps in security, under which 40 new security camps have been opened in the last three years and 15 more are to be opened. It is a great achievement but still, the Government of India along with the States are committed to fully eliminate the problem of Left Wing Extremism.

Shri Amit Shah said the government has opened about 5,000 post offices and more than 1200 bank branches in the last three years in Left Wing Extremism affected areas. Also, to speed up the telecom services, more than 2,300 mobile towers are being installed in the first phase and installation of 2,500 mobile towers in the second phase is going on. The Union Home Minister also said that there are many development schemes of State Governments in Naxal-affected areas and the States by giving priority to them, should aim for full results of these schemes. He said more the  development in Naxal-affected areas, the less will be the recruitment of Naxalites and the sources of mobilization of Left Wing Extremists will also be exhausted. The Union Home Minister urged Naxal-affected states to focus more on dealing with this problem so that it can be rooted out.

The 23rd meeting of the Central Zonal Council discussed the significant progress made towards expansion of banking facilities within 5 kms of all villages as per the vision given by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for expansion of the banking network in rural areas. The 112 Emergency Response Support Service (ERSS) is the single number emergency line in the country and is functioning in 35 States/UTs. The online Sakhi Dashboard is being operated by the Government of India under the ‘Sakhi -One Stop Center’ for safety of women. The meeting also discussed the seamless integration of the Police Help Line No. 112 with the Women Help Line No. - 181 and Child Help Line No. - 1098 and through this and shifting the cases related to women to ‘Sakhi -One Stop Center’ on real time basis. In today's meeting, the council was apprised that as a result of the discussion in the 22nd meeting of the council held at Raipur, the Food and Public Distribution Department of the Government of India has issued revised criteria for the loss / profit in the storage of wheat and rice, which is equally applicable to the institutions of the Central Government and the State Governments. The issue of release of grants to State Home Guards and declaring Bhopal, Indore and Raipur airports as international airports was also discussed in the meeting. The Union Home Minister also asked the Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries of the States included in the Central Zonal Council to regularly monitor the issues raised in the Council meeting every month so that these issues can be resolved expeditiously.

9-Jul-2022: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah presided over the 30th meeting of Northern Zonal Council in Jaipur today

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah presided over the 30th meeting of the Northern Zonal Council in Jaipur today. The meeting was attended by the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Shri Ashok Gehlot, the Chief Minister of Haryana, Shri Manohar Lal and the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Shri Jai Ram Thakur, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena, the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Shri Radha Krishna Mathur, the Administrator of Chandigarh, Shri Banwarilal Purohit, the Delhi, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Manish Sisodia, Finance Minister of Punjab Shri Harpal Singh Cheema and senior ministers of member States. The meeting was also attended by the Union Home Secretary, Secretaries of the Inter-State Council Secretariat, Chief Secretaries of Member States in the Northern Region and senior officials of the States and Central Ministries and Departments.

Shri Amit Shah said that the regional councils have a long history in the development of the country. These councils provide an important forum for discussions in cordial atmosphere between the Center and the State, settlement of disputed inter-State issues through unanimous agreement, enhancing regional cooperation between States and issues of common national importance to be implemented across the country.

The Union Home Minister said that after the government led by Shri Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, it has been the emphasis of Prime Minister that the meetings of the Zonal Council should be regular, result-oriented and the pending issues should be resolved. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Inter-State Council and the Ministry of Home Affairs, along with all the Ministries of the Government of India and State Governments, are working to speed it up. He said that between 2006 and 2013, 6 meetings of the Regional Council and 8 meetings of its Standing Committee were held, while from 2014 to 2022, 19 meetings of the Regional Council and 24 of the Standing Committee were held. Shri Shah said that the frequency of the meetings of the Council has been increased considerably and they have also been made result-oriented. He said that this pace and record of bringing results should be continued.

The Union Home Minister said that in the northern region, inter-state interaction and resolution of problems between the Center and the States are very important for the development of the country and for strengthening the federal structure. He said that earlier in the meeting of Northern Zonal Council held in Chandigarh in 2019, 18 issues were discussed and out of these 16 issues were resolved.

The Northern Zonal Council also discussed the growing threat of cybercrime and strategies for its prevention. The Union Home Minister stressed upon the States and Union Territories to conduct awareness campaigns on cyber-vigilance through various mediums. In view of the profound impact of cybercrimes on national security, public order and economic activity, the Council emphasized the need to ensure the security of the nation's cyber space and the security of citizens as a whole. Shri Amit Shah advised agencies of the Central and State Governments to use common software developed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, to work together to identify the issues of concern and to trace the offenders and take strict action against them. In this context, it was decided that a committee under the chairmanship of the Union Home Secretary with all concerned departments and State governments would prepare a strategy to deal with the growing menace of cybercrime.

The Union Home Minister also stressed on the need to train police officers, public prosecutors and cutting edge agencies including telecom companies, their PoS agents with new technology and advanced skills. He called for maximum use of IT tools to detect cybercrimes and take systematic measures to prevent their recurrence.

The complex problems of sharing river water among the member states were also discussed in the meeting. Shri Amit Shah also asked the concerned States to take a cordial approach to the issue and find a time bound solution. Shri Amit Shah said that all the stakeholders should come together to establish a strong cooperative mechanism for development, for which purpose the regional councils were created. He said that although the role of the Council is advisory, he is happy that in his three years of experience, more than 75 percent of the issues in the Council have been resolved by consensus. Thus a very good process has started and we all should continue it. He said that we are moving towards achieving 100 per cent results on issues requiring building of national consensus.

The Union Home Minister said that in the last three years, many important issues related to the country have been included in various meetings of the Zonal Councils. These include forensic science lab and forensic science university, amendment in CrPC and IPC, banking service in every village of the country within a radius of five kilometers, mobile network in 100% villages, providing rural population all the facilities of State and Central government through common service center, all the beneficiary schemes of the state and central government to reach directly into the account of the beneficiaries through 100% DBT and many issues related to national security.

A total of 47 issues were discussed in the 30th meeting of the Northern Zonal Council held in Jaipur today and the 19th meeting of its Standing Committee. Out of these, 4 issues have been identified as important topics at the national level, these are being regularly discussed and monitored in the meetings of various Zonal Councils. These include improving banking services in rural areas, monitoring cases of rape and sexual offenses against women and children, setting up fast track courts for such cases and implementing Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Of the 47 issues that were discussed, 35 issues have been resolved. It shows the resolve and commitment of the Modi government towards the all-round development of the nation in the spirit of cooperative federalism.

It was also appreciated in the meeting that as per the vision given by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to expand the banking network in rural areas, a lot of progress has been achieved in the direction of providing banking facilities within 5 km to all the villages. This issue was discussed in the meetings of all the Zonal Councils during the last 3 years including today's meeting of the Northern Zonal Council. Based on the discussions and suggestions in these meetings, the Department of Financial Services, Department of Posts and the Ministry of Cooperation will prepare a roadmap for setting up of IPPB touch points of bank branches (including co-operative bank branches) and post offices within 5 km in each village in a time bound manner. The expansion of such bank branches/IPPB touch points in the Northern Region States and Union Territories was specially discussed in this meeting in Jaipur. The Union Home Minister expressed hope that this action will be completed soon for these States and Union Territories.

11-Jun-2022: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah presided over the 25th meeting of Western Zonal Council in Diu today

Union Home & Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah, chaired the 25th meeting of the Western Zonal Council at Diu today. Chief Ministers of Goa, Gujarat and Administrator of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Senior Ministers from Gujarat and Maharashtra, Union Home Secretary, Chief Secretaries from the member States in the Western Zone, Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat and other senior officers from the States and Central Ministries and Departments participated in the meeting. It is for the first time that the Western Zonal Council was held in the UT of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

Highlighting the importance of Zonal Councils that were established under the States Reorganisation Act in 1956, Union Home Minister & Cooperation Minister referred to the Vision of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi to leverage cooperative and competitive federalism to achieve all round growth of the country. He mentioned that the Zonal Councils provide the platform to foster such collaboration through a structured mechanism for dialogue and discussion on a continuous basis on the issues affecting one or more States or between the Centre and the States, in the spirit that strong States make a strong nation. In this context, he also highlighted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guidance, the country has been successfully dealing with Covid-19 pandemic along with ensuring extensive vaccination in the country which has been possible with the active support of the States.

Union Home Minister Shi Amit Shah mentioned that, the meetings of different Zonal Councils are now being convened regularly by the Inter State Council Secretariat of the Ministry of Home Affairs with the cooperation of the State Governments. He observed that there has been substantial increase in the number of meetings of the Zonal Councils and its Standing Committees. 18 meetings of the various Zonal Councils and 24 meetings of their Standing Committees were held in the last 8 years as against 6 and 8 meetings respectively in the corresponding previous period.

While appreciating the role of the Zonal Councils, he mentioned that though the Zonal Councils are advisory in character, but through discussions and exchange of views, they help in developing a coordinated approach among the States on important issues of social and economic development. In this regard, Union Home Minister & Cooperation Minister desired that the forum of Zonal Councils should be used for sharing of best practices among the member States/UTs and for this purpose, he advised that success stories and best practices from each State be presented in the Standing Committees of the Zonal Councils and discussed for adopting in the other States/UTs of the Zone.

The Western Zonal Council in the 25th meeting at Diu on 11.6.2022 and its Standing Committee in its 12th meeting at Panaji on 28.01.2022 has discussed over a total of 36 issues.  Out of these, 6 issues have been identified as significant at national level and these issues are being discussed and monitored regularly on an ongoing basis in all meetings of different Zonal Councils. These are improvement of banking services in rural areas, monitoring of rape and sexual offences cases against women and children, implementation of Fast Track Courts for such cases, verification of identity of Marine fishermen in high seas, development of local contingency plan by coastal States for Mass Rescue Operation in high seas and encouragement of Make in India initiative through Preference in Public Procurement.   Out of the 30 other issues that were discussed in these meetings, 27 issues were resolved and only 3 retained for further deliberation.

The Union Home & Cooperation Minister, Shri Amit Shah stressed the need for early investigation of rape/sexual offences against women & children and the need for stringent punishment in a time bound manner.  He desired that an Addl. DGP level officer, preferably a lady Officer be assigned the responsibility in the Police Headquarters of each State for monitoring all such cases.

The Western Zonal Council also reviewed the action taken on the decisions in its last meeting.  Union Home & Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah while noting with satisfaction the substantial progress on the issue of QR Code enabled PVC Aadhar Cards to marine fishermen, he urged the coastal States to make efforts to ensure that 100% of the fishermen including migrant and seasonal fishermen going to the high seas should have such Aadhaar cards that can be easily verified.

Highlighting the need for all-inclusive Local Contingency Plan and the role it plays in the Mass Rescue Operation, he advised to identify the existing infrastructure along the coast and integrate them with the Disaster Mitigation Plans.

The Zonal Council also appreciated that in pursuance of the Vision given by the  Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for expansion of banking network in the rural areas, the Department of Posts will be rolling out additional 20,715 India Post Payment Bank live touch points which will provide banking facilities apart from regular postal services.  Union Home Minister and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah advised that banks including cooperative banks and the India Post Payments Bank should take up the challenge and ensure that each of the remaining unbanked villages of the Western Zone are provided banking facilities within 5 kms in the next year.

Stressing the importance of DBT in ensuring that the benefits of Social Security Schemes reach the targeted beneficiaries, Hon’ble Minister advised that the States should onboard all the State schemes, besides the Centrally Sponsored Schemes on the DBT platform. He desired that all villages in the Western zone be provided mobile connectivity within one year for which private sector players be also roped in.

Union Home & Cooperation Minister also advised that the cash deposit facility through Common Service Centres be got extended in a time bound manner and all banks be onboarded on the platform.  He advised that this should be reviewed quarterly in a focussed manner.

The Council in the meeting at Diu also resolved the issue of rate of tariff for water supplied to the UT of DNH & DD by the Gujarat Water Supply and Sewerage Board. Further, the deliberations provided a meeting ground between the Railways and the Government of Maharashtra on the issue of pending Forest and Wildlife clearances for the two important ongoing railway projects for gauge conversion on the Akola-Khandwa Section and the new 3rd line Project of the Bortalao-Gondia section.

The Zonal Council also appreciated that on the initiative of its Standing Committee, MoEF&CC had incorporated a window in its Parivesh Portal for uploading notifications of Non-Forest land identified for raising Compensatory Afforestation as Reserved Forests/Protected Forests.

14-Nov-2021: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah presided over the 29th meeting of South Zonal Council in Tirupati today

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, chaired the 29th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Tirupati today. Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Puducherry, Lieutenant Governors of Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Administrator of Lakshadweep attended the meeting. The Ministers of the states of the Southern Zonal Council, the Union Home Secretary, Secretary of the Inter-State Council and the Chief Secretaries and other senior officers of the respective states and Union Territories were also present in the meeting. The Union Home Minister thanked the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for organizing the 29th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Tirupati, the holy city of Lord Shree Venkateswara.

Shri Amit Shah said that the ancient culture, traditions and languages of the states of southern India enrich the culture and ancient heritage of India. He said India’s development cannot be imagined without the significant contribution of the states of Southern India. He said that Indian culture has diversity and especially the culture, languages and traditions of Southern India attract not only those from our country but also from world. Shri Amit Shah said that Modi Government respects all regional languages and hence in today's meeting facility of translation has been provided in all the languages of the member states of the Southern Zonal Council. The Home Minister said in future he would be happy to see delegates speaking in their respective language.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the Southern states make a huge contribution to the tourism sector, the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, the Information Technology (IT) and the service sector, as well as the manufacturing sector. Over the years, the Council has proved fruitful in promoting healthy discussions of mutual understanding and cooperation in many areas. We have succeeded in developing a coordinated approach between the states through exchange of discussions. He said that the beginning made in 1956 has progressed in a mature manner.

The Union Home Minister said that the popular Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during the last 7 years has greatly enhanced the importance of Zonal Councils. Shri Narendra Modi believes that the development of a country like India is not possible without strengthening the federal structure. He said that only the federal structure and its strength can take our country forward. Shri Amit Shah said that only 5 meetings of Zonal Councils were held in 7 years before Prime Minister Modi formed the government, whereas this is the 18th meeting in the last 7 years. He said that in the last one-and-a-half years due to COVID-19 pandemic, meetings of the zonal councils could not be held, but I am confident that in the next two years we will make up for this loss. In the meeting of the Southern Zonal Council held in Tirupati today under the chairmanship of the Union Home Minister, 40 out of 51 pending cases were agreed upon. Shri Shah said that it the endeavor of the Ministry of Home Affairs to organize at least 10 meetings of the Standing Committees every year, as meetings of the Standing Committees not only set the agenda, but also resolves many issues at the Standing Committee level. He said in the last 7 years more than 560 issues have been resolved in meetings of the Standing Committees and Zonal Councils. This is the most since 1956. This shows how successful zonal councils have been, despite having an advisory role. Shri Amit Shah said unresolved issues have been reduced to a very minimum level, he however wanted them to reach almost zero.

Shri Amit Shah congratulated and thanked representatives of all the states on behalf of the Government of India for crossing the target of 100 crore vaccinations in the world’s biggest COVID-19 vaccination campaign, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, 111 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far, and this is a big achievement and an example of cooperative federalism. It is the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take advantage of cooperative and competitive federalism to achieve all round development of the country. The Home Minister said that when the pandemic started, it was said that India would not be able to cope, however, India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strengthened its basic health infrastructure. Along with this, there has been a rapid increase in the domestic production of vaccines. Today we have conquered the fear about the pandemic and the central government will continue to do everything possible to cover all states under the immunization programme.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, in his concluding address said that the states should accelerate the pace of administering the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines at the sub-division level and below, Chief Ministers and officials should monitor the progress. He said that the Government of India has started the work of amending the Indian Penal Code, Cr PC and the Evidence Act and the states should present their views for amendments by involving officials and experts. The Chief Ministers must prioritize tackling the menace and spread of drugs as drug use destroys the lives and potential of our youth. To expedite prosecution, states should set up an independent prosecution institution.

Shri Amit Shah said a National Forensic Science University and a National Defense University have been established on the initiative of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, all States should establish at least one Forensic Science College with curriculum in the local language, so that they have trained personnel who meet the requirements of forensic investigation. There should be zero tolerance in POCSO offenses and priority should be given to POCSO cases. Crimes against children are unacceptable and a time limit of 60 days must be adhered to.

The Union Home Minister said the Government of India has decided to observe 15 November as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas. This day will be celebrated every year through different formats during a one week period, to highlight the contribution of tribal communities in our Freedom Struggle and national development. The Union Home Minister urged the Chief Ministers to prepare an action plan in their states to highlight and exhibit the contribution of the tribal community in India's Freedom Struggle and development of their states.

12-Nov-2021: Union Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah to chair 29th Meeting of the Southern Zonal Council at Tirupati on 14th November, 2021

Union Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah will chair the 29th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council comprising of the States of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, and Union Territories of Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, scheduled to be held at Tirupati on the 14th November 2021. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has stressed on the need to leverage co-operative & competitive federalism to achieve all round growth. Zonal Councils provide the platform to foster such collaboration through a structured mechanism for dialogue and discussion on continuous basis on the issues affecting two or more states or the Centre and States, in the spirit that strong States make a strong nation.

Union Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah has given impetus to this vision of cooperative federalism to empower States and promote a better understanding between the Centre and States in the policy framework. He has emphasised on using the platform of Zonal Council for dispute resolving and promoting cooperative federalism.

The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh is the Vice Chairman and host. Other Chief Ministers from the States in the Zone along with 2 Ministers each are the Members. Chief Secretaries and senior officers from the State Governments and the Central Government will also attend the meeting.

The Zonal Councils take up issues involving 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 Centre and States and among many States in the Zone. The Zonal Councils discuss broad range of issues which include boundary related disputes, security, infrastructure related matters like road, transport, industries, water, and power etc., matters pertaining to forests & environment, housing, education, food security, tourism and transport etc.

Five Zonal Councils were set up in the year 1957 under Section 15-22 of the States Re-organization Act, 1956. Hon’ble Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these 5 Zonal Councils and Chief Ministers of the host State (to be chosen by rotation every year) is the Vice-Chairman.  2 more Ministers from each State are nominated as Members by the Governor.

27-Feb-2020: 24th Meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council at Bhubaneswar on 28th February, 2020

The 24th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council, comprising of the States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal, is scheduled to be held on 28th February, 2020 at Bhubaneswar.

The Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah will chair this meeting.  Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik, is the Vice-Chairman and host.  Chief Ministers of Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand respectively, Shri Nitish Kumar, Ms. Mamata Banerjee and Shri Hemant Soren, will also participate.  The Chief Ministers will be accompanied by two Cabinet Ministers from each State, as members of the Council, and Chief Secretary & other senior officers of the States. Secretaries/Additional Secretaries and other senior officers of the Central Government will also attend the meeting.  Last meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council was last held in Kolkata on October 1, 2018.

The upcoming meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council will deliberate upon nearly 4 dozen issues which inter alia include inter-State water issues, power transmission lines, royalty on & operationalization of coals mines, land & forest clearance of rail projects, investigation of heinous offences, cattle smuggling across country’s borders, lack of telecom & banking infrastructure in remote areas, petroleum projects, sharing pattern on centrally collected revenues etc. With such senior level participation of political leadership and officers, a large number of issues are likely to get resolved by consensus in the meeting.

Five Zonal Councils were set up in the year 1957 under Section 15-22 of the States Reorganization Act, 1956.  The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these 5 Zonal Councils and 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.  The Council takes up issues involving Centre and States, and among Member-States falling in the Zone and thus provide a forum for resolving disputes and irritants between them.

The Zonal Councils discuss broad range of issues, which include boundary related disputes, security, infrastructure related matters like road, transport, industries, water and power etc., matters pertaining to forests & environment, housing, education, food security, tourism, transport, etc.

18-Sep-2019: Shri Amit Shah to chair the 29th Meeting of the Northern Zonal Council

The Northern Zonal Council comprises of the States of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Rajasthan, Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh and Government of NCT of Delhi. Chief Ministers from the member States in the Zone along with two Ministers each, Administrators of Union Territories, Chief Secretaries and senior officers from the State Governments and the Central Government will attend the meeting.

The Council takes up issues involving Centre and States and one/many States falling in the Zone.  The Zonal Councils thus provide a forum for resolving disputes and irritants between Centre and States and among many States in the Zone. The Zonal Councils discuss broad range of issues which include boundary related disputes, security, infrastructure related matters like road, transport, industries, water and power etc., matters pertaining to forests & environment, housing, education, food security, tourism, transport etc.

Five Zonal Councils were set up in the year 1957 under Section 15-22 of the States Reorganization Act, 1956. Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these five Zonal Councils and Chief Ministers of the host State (to be chosen by routine every year) is the Vice-Chairman. Two more Ministers from each State are nominated as Members by the Governor.

1-Oct-2018: Union Home Minister chairs meeting of Eastern Zonal Council in Kolkata

The 23rd meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council was held at Kolkata under the Chairmanship of the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh. The meeting was attended by the Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, and Ministers from the States of the Council including Odisha as well as senior officers from Central and State Governments.

In his opening remarks the Union Home Minister emphasized that it has been the endeavour of the present Government to strengthen the institution of the Zonal Councils as well as the Inter State Council in order to promote and maintain a good federal atmosphere of cooperation among the States and between the Centre and the States as well. As a result, in the last 4 years, 13 Zonal Council meetings and 15 Standing Committee meetings have been held. In these meetings, about 700 issues had been discussed, out of which about 450 were resolved.

The Council reviewed progress of unresolved items of the last meeting relating to Phulbari Dam under the Agreement of 1978 between Bihar and West Bengal, release of central share under post-matric and pre-matric scholarship schemes for SCs/STs/OBCs, scheme for modernization of state police forces, allocation of land for National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research at Kolkata and Hajipur, maternal and child nutrition through Integrated Food Fortification Project, measures for bringing green revolution to Eastern India,  issues relating to mining and coal mining in States of the Eastern Zone, issues arising out of the bifurcation of Bihar and Jharkhand, measures to curb Left Wing Extremism, rail movement for socio-economic development of the Eastern zone, railway electrification, construction of dedicated freight corridor, road over bridges and road under bridges in lieu of level crossings, waiver of condition of advance payment for Central Armed Police Forces deployment by Ministry of Home Affairs, release of balance funds to Bihar under Backward Region Grant Fund.

The Council also took up 15 new issues which are - development of allocated coal mines, implementation of various National Programs of Health, establishment of shelters for urban homeless under DAY-National Urban Livelihood Mission,  expeditious clearance for right of way for laying optical fibre cable, teachers education, land acquisition  for development of 11 airports in these States, implementation of provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996,  Statistical Strengthening Scheme, doing away with the systems of affidavits and attestation of certificates by gazette officers and by allowing self-attestation, compliance of the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites, e-Office, e-Governance  and Nodal Officer of public grievances portal.  Out of the total 30 items discussed today 26 were resolved in the meeting.

Prior to this meeting, the Standing Committee of the Council met on 21.12.2017 in which 7 items including curbing of drugs trafficking in these States, issues relating to fisheries, productivity of livestock & poultry, model flood code for chronically flood affected areas, communal situation in these States, installation of Doppler radar at Ranchi, implementation of recommendations of 14th Finance Commission, rationalization of funding pattern under centrally sponsored schemes.

The five Zonal Councils (Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern and Central) were set up under the States Reorganization Act, 1956 to foster Inter-State co-operation and co-ordination among the States. They are mandated to discuss and make recommendations on any matter of common interest in the field of economic and social planning, border disputes, linguistic minorities or inter-state transport etc. They are regional fora of cooperative endeavor for States linked with each other economically, politically and culturally. Being compact high level bodies, specially meant for looking after the interests of respective Zones, they are capable of focusing attention on specific issues taking into account regional factors, while keeping the national perspective in view.

The deliberations of the Council were held in a warm and cordial atmosphere in the true spirit of cooperative federalism and ended with the decision to host the next meeting in Bihar.

24-Sep-2018: Home Minister chairs meeting of central Zonal Council in Lucknow

Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting of 21st Central Zonal Council in Lucknow in which Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand while representative ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh participated.

The Council discussed various issues including road transport, Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna, measures to tackle Naxal violence, modernization of Police, infrastructure development of airports, minimum support price, National health mission and issues related to primary schools.

After the meeting, Home Minister said that total 22 issues were discussed today in meeting out of which 17 were resolved and on three issue directions were given, rest 2 issues between the states will also be resolved very soon.

18-Sep-2018: Union Home Minister chairs Southern Zonal Council Meeting in Bengaluru

The 28th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council was held under the Chairmanship the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh in Bengaluru.  The meeting was attended by the Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Puducherry; Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu; Finance Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment and Minister for Tourism, Karnataka; Minister for Health, Puducherry and Minister of State for Home, Govt. of India, Lt. Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and senior officers from Central and State Governments.

The Council expressed deep sorrow and sympathy to the people who lost their lives and property in the floods caused by the fury of the Monsoon in the Southern part of the country. The Council was informed that Central Government would not lag behind in providing the requisite assistance to the States concerned in this regard.

The Council reviewed the progress of the implementation of the recommendations made at the last meeting relating to security to fishermen, introduction of peninsular tourism trains, uniformity in allocation of funds in proportion to population of SC/ST for scholarship for all the courses, optimum harnessing of renewable energy available in the Southern States without endangering grid security and development of Puducherry Airport. Thereafter, the Council took up issues which relate to Pulicat lake dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu fishermen over fishing rights, menace of red sander smuggling in the holy Seshachalam hills, supply of Krishna water to augment the drinking water supply to Chennai city, issues relating to fishing in coastal States in Southern Zone, checking of Antibiotic residues in aquaculture shrimp export, scheme for modernization of State Police Forces in the States of Southern Zone, issuance of 'No Objection Certificate' (NOC) for LPG godown site plan, issues pertaining to Biofuels programme, etc. Out of the 27 items discussed today, 22 were resolved in the meeting.

Prior to this Council meeting, the Standing Committee of the Council met on November 28, 2017 at Bengaluru. In the meeting seven issues  were resolved i.e. extension of High Speed Rail corridor between Thiruvananthapuram and Mangalore upto Udupi, revision of ceiling on Profession Tax by the Government of India, giving Infrastructure status to Housing by the Central Government, Inter-State Animal Movement, promotion of Oil seeds and Oil palm cultivation to augment availability of Vegetable Oils, inclusion of Puducherry in Central Finance Commission and security of fishermen from Puducherry.

The five Zonal Councils (Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern and Center Zonal Councils) were set up under the States Re-organisation Act, 1956 to foster Inter-State cooperation and coordination among the States. The Zonal Councils are mandated to discuss and make recommendations on any matter of common interest in the field of economic and social planning, border disputes, linguistic minorities or inter-State transport etc. They are regional fora of cooperative endeavour for States linked with each other economically, politically and culturally. Being compact high level bodies, specially meant for looking after the interests of respective Zones, they are capable of focusing attention on specific issues taking into account regional factors, while keeping the national perspective in view.

It was emphasized that it has been the objective of the present Government to strengthen the institution of the Zonal Councils as well as the Inter-State Council in order to promote and maintain a good federal atmosphere of cooperation among the States and between the Centre and the States as well. As a result, during the last four years, two Council meetings and three Standing Committee meetings of the Southern Zonal Council were held. Apart from this, eight Council meetings and twelve Standing Committee meetings of other Zones were also held. In these meetings, about 600 issues were discussed, out of which 406 issues were resolved.

Today’s deliberations of the Council were held in a warm and cordial atmosphere in the true spirit of cooperative federalism and ended with the decision to host the next meeting in Tamil Nadu.

25-Apr-2018: Union Home Minister chairs the 23rd meeting of Western Zonal Council in Gandhinagar
The 23rd meeting of the Western Zonal Council was held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat under the chairmanship of the Union home minister Rajnath Singh. The meeting was attended by the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Gujarat, ministers of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, administrator of the Union territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and senior officers from Central and state governments.

The chief minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani emphasised the need for coordination and cooperation of the Western Zonal States on the issue of marine security.

The zonal councils were established under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 with the objective to develop the habit of cooperative working among the states and between the centre and the states. The zonal councils are mandated to discuss and make recommendations on any matter of common interest in the field of economic and social planning.

The council reviewed the progress of the implementation of the recommendations made at the last meeting relating to surplus lands of various Organisations of Central Government to be made available for achieving objectives of “Housing for All: 2022” and issues relating to Aadhaar.

The deliberations of the council were warm and cordial, in the true spirit of cooperative federalism and ended with the decision to host the next meeting in Goa.

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