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Picture Courtesy: INDIAN EXPRESS

Context:

The Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired the 27th meeting of the Western Zonal Council in Pune.

About Zonal Councils  

Zonal Councils are statutory bodies established under the States Reorganization Act of 1956.

It acts as regional platforms where states within a particular geographic zone can discuss and resolve issues of common interest.

It promotes cooperation between the central government and states while promoting balanced regional development and national integration.

Structure

• Under the 1956 Act, India is divided into five zones, each with its own Zonal Council: Northern, Central, Eastern, Western, and Southern. 
• The North Eastern Council was set up under the North Eastern Council Act 1972.
• Each Zonal Council consists of the Chief Ministers and other representatives from the states falling within that zone, along with the Union Home Minister as the Chairman. 
• The Chief Ministers of states within a zone take turns as Vice-Chairperson of the Zonal Council by rotation, each holding office for a period of one year at a time.
• Union Ministers are also invited to participate in the meetings of Zonal Councils as per the requirement.

Functions

• Discuss and resolve inter-state issues like water sharing, border disputes, and infrastructure development. 
• Promote coordination on economic and social planning matters within a zone. 
• Address concerns related to linguistic minorities. 
• Promote cooperative federalism by enabling open communication between the Centre and States. 
• Review and discuss implementation of central government schemes at the regional level.

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Source: 

INDIAN EXPRESS