NORTH EASTERN COUNCIL MEETING

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Prime Minister of India addressed the meeting of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong,
- The meeting marks the golden jubilee celebration of the Council, which was formally inaugurated in 1972.
The Prime Minister refers to the 8 states of the North Eastern region as Asht Lakshmi.
He stated that the government working on 8 foundation pillars; Peace, Power, Tourism, 5G connectivity, Culture, Natural farming, Sports, and Potential for the development of the region.
He highlighted that the Northeast is India’s gateway to the South -East Asia and can become a centre for the development of the entire region.
He highlighted that many peace agreements had been signed, inter-state boundary agreements have been done and there has been a marked reduction in instances of extremism.
He said that the Northeast can become a powerhouse of hydropower. This will help in the expansion of industries and generate a large number of jobs.
He mentioned that both culture and nature of the region are attracting tourists from across the world.

Zonal Councils

Zonal Councils aim to promote collaboration and coordination among states, UTs, and the Union.
They discuss and give recommendations on several topics.
They are only consultative and deliberative bodies.
The States Reorganization Act of 1956 established these statutory entities.
The country is divided into 5 zones by the Act:
- Northern Zone
- Central Zone
- Eastern Zone
- Western Zone
- Southern Zone
Each zonal council is made up of
- The Union Home Minister (who acts as a chairman).
- CM of all States in Zone + 2 other ministers from the states (Each CM acts as a Vice-Chairman by rotation, holding office for 1 year at a time).
- Administrators of all UTs in the zone.

North-Eastern Council

A further Act of Parliament, the North-Eastern Council Act of 1971, established a North-Eastern Council in addition to the previous Zonal Councils.
Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Sikkim are among its members. Its responsibilities are similar to those of zonal councils, with a few exceptions.
It is required to examine the actions taken by member states to maintain security and public order in the region regularly.

Name Members Headquarters

1. Northern Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, New Delhi Zonal Council Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi,

Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir and

Ladakh

2. Central Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Allahabad Zonal Council Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh

3. Eastern Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Kolkata Zonal Council Odisha

4. Western Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra Mumbai Zonal Council and Nagar Haveli and Daman and

Diu

5. Southern Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chennai Zonal Council Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and

Puducherry

Significance of Zonal council

Zonal councils help in designing a collaborative strategy through discussions and exchange of views between the Union and States on important issues.
It takes up issues involving the Union and states or between many states.
The zonal councils provide a platform for resolving disputes between the Union and the States and among many States.
Zonal Meetings are used by the Union, States and Union Territories to share their best practices.
Zonal councils also discuss a wide range of issues, including;
- Boundary-related disputes.
- security
- Infrastructure-related matters like road, transport, industries, water, and power.
- Forests and environment.
- Housing
- Education
- Food security
- Tourism
- Transport