Home Minister Amit Shah to chair Northern Zonal Council meeting in Jaipur today

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair the 30th meeting of the Northern Zonal Council (NZC) in Jaipur, Rajasthan today. Issues like internal security, border dispute, cyber crime, drug trade, mutual border dispute between states, road, transport, industries, water, power and other issues will be deliberated upon in the meeting.

Chief Ministers, Governors and Lieutenant Governors of 8 states/union territories including Rajasthan will attend the 30th meeting of the Northern Zonal Council (NZC) in Jaipur today. Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot will deliver the welcome address.

The Northern Zonal Council comprises Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and UT of Jammu and Kashmir, Laddakh, Delhi and Chandigarh. The last meeting of NZC was held in Chandigarh in 2019.

The meeting is being held in Jaipur after 25 years. The regional councils provide a forum for discussion in a structured manner on issues affecting one or



more states or issues between the Centre and the states.

In the last eight years, under the guidance of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the number of meetings of the zonal councils and its standing committees has increased by three times.

Regional councils help in developing a coordinated approach through discussions and exchange of views between states on important issues of social and economic development.

These zonal council meetings are used by the States and Union Territories to share their best practices.

There are five zonal councils in the country which were set up in 1957 under Section 15-22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.

The Union Home Minister is the chairman of each of these five zonal councils and chief minister of the host State - to be chosen on a rotational basis every year - is the vice-chairman.