27th Eastern Zonal Council Meet 2025

Home Minister Amit Shah to chair 27th Eastern Zonal Council meeting in Ranchi with eastern states representatives from Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal.

About Zonal Council

• Zonal Councils are statutory (not Constitutional) regional forums set up under the States Reorganization Act, 1956, aimed at fostering coordination among states and between states and the Centre.
• Origin: The idea of Zonal Councils was proposed by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1956 during debates on the States Reorganisation Commission (Fazal Ali Commission, 1953) report
• Structure: There are five Zonal Councils, Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, and Central.
  • Members: Each Zonal Council comprises the Chief Ministers and Governors of the member states, along with two ministers from each state nominated by the respective Chief Minister.
  • Chairmanship: The Union Home Minister serves as the Chairman of all Zonal Councils, while each Chief Minister from a member state can act as a Vice-Chairman on a rotational basis.
  • Advisors: A representative from NITI Aayog, Chief Secretaries, and Development Commissioners of the member states.
• Primary Role: These councils address issues such as economic planning, resource management, and interstate disputes.
  • They discuss policies affecting regional growth and governance.
• Evolution: Over time, the Zonal Councils have played a significant role in fostering inter-governmental dialogue and resolving contentious issues like water-sharing agreements and infrastructure development.
• The North Eastern region has a separate council, the North Eastern Council, created in 1972, set up under the North Eastern Council Act, 1972.

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