Context: Recently, the Union Home Minister presided over the 26th Eastern Zonal Council (EZC) meeting held at Patna, Bihar.
26th Eastern Zonal Council Meeting 2023: Key Highlights
- Participants of EZC: States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Sikkim, and West Bengal
More on the news:
- Bihar Chief Minister urged to give Bihar the status of Special Category State during the meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council (EZC).
- He also requested to include the new State law on a higher reservation in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.
ISSUES DISCUSSED IN THE MEET
- Malnutrition: Eliminating malnutrition among children through Poshan Abhiyan.
- Dropout: Reducing the dropout rate of school children.
- Speedy Trials: Operationalisation of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) for speedy investigation.
- Disposal Of Rape Case: Speedy disposal of rape cases against women and children.
- Banking: To have the facility of Banks/India Post Payment Bank branches within 5 km of each village.
- PACSs: Formation of two lakh new Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACSs).
About Zonal Councils
- Zonal councils are statutory bodies formed under States Reorganisation Act 1956.
- Classification of zonal councils:
- The Northern Zonal Council: It comprises the States of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, the National Capital Territory of Delhi, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
- The Central Zonal Council: It comprises the States of Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
- The Eastern Zonal Council: It comprises the States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Sikkim, and West Bengal.
- The Western Zonal Council: It comprises the States of Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra and the Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
- The Southern Zonal Council: States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
- Composition Of Zonal Councils:
- Chairman: The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these Councils.
- Vice Chairman: The Chief Ministers of the States included in each zone act as
- Vice-Chairman of the Zonal Council for that zone by rotation, each holding office for a period of one year at a time.
Special Category Status?
- It was introduced in 1969 on the recommendations of the Fifth Finance Commission.
- SCS is a classification given by the Centre to assist the development of states that face geographical and socio-economic disadvantages. (The Constitution does not make a provision for SCS).
Indicator for Special Category Status
- International border proximity,
- Hilly terrain,
- Economic disparities.
- Sizable tribal population and
- Infrastructural backwardness.
State with Special Category Status
Eleven States: Assam, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Uttarakhand and Telangana.
- Telangana, the newest State of India, was accorded the status as it was carved out of another State — Andhra Pradesh.
Ninth Schedule:
- The Ninth Schedule, which was incorporated in 1951 by the First Amendment to the Constitution to protect land reform laws.
- The Ninth Schedule includes a list of Central and State laws which cannot be challenged in courts.
- However, the Supreme Court in I R Coelho v. State of Tamil Nadu (2007) said that any law included in the Ninth Schedule after 24th April 1973 must be examined under Articles 14, 19, and 21.
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- Members: Chief Minister and two other Ministers as nominated by the Governor from each of the States and two members from Union Territories included in the zone.
- Advisers: One person nominated by the Planning Commission for each of the Zonal Councils, Chief Secretaries, and another officer/Development Commissioner nominated by each of the States included in the Zone
About North Eastern Council (NEC)
- The NEC is the nodal agency for the economic and social development of the North Eastern Region which consists of the eight States:
- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
- Genesis: The NEC was constituted as a statutory advisory body under the North Eastern Council Act 1971 for the rapid development of the Region.
- Nodal Ministry: It falls under the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region.
- Composition: The Council comprises Governors and Chief Ministers of constituent States and three members nominated by the President.
- The Union Home Minister is the ex-officio Chairman and the Minister of State(IC) Department of North East Region is the ex-officio Vice-Chairman of the NEC.
Significance Of Zonal Councils:
- Integration: Bringing out national integration;
- Peace and harmony: Arresting the growth of acute State consciousness, regionalism, linguism, and particularistic tendencies;
- Cooperative federalism: Enabling the Centre and the States to cooperate and exchange ideas and experiences;
- All round development: Establishing a climate of cooperation amongst the States for the successful and speedy execution of development projects.
Also Read: What is the Special Category Status?
News source: PIB
December 11, 2023
