Amit Shah Chairs 31st Southern Zonal Council Meeting In Tamil Nadu; Vijay, Naidu, Shivakumar Attend

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday chaired the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council at Kovalam in Tamil Nadu’s Chengalpattu district, with leaders and senior officials from southern states and Union Territories gathering to discuss inter-state and Centre-state issues.

The meeting, hosted by the Tamil Nadu government at Taj Fisherman’s Cove, brought together representatives from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, as well as Puducherry, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan were among those who attended. Telangana was represented by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, PTI reported.

Vijay, whose government hosted the meeting, felicitated Shah at the event. He had also met the Union Home Minister in Chennai on Wednesday ahead of the council meeting.

What Is The Southern Zonal Council?

The Southern Zonal Council is one of five Zonal Councils created under Sections 15 to 22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.

The councils were established as forums where states and the Centre could discuss issues involving more than one government and attempt to resolve disputes through consultation.

Shah serves as chairman of the Southern Zonal Council. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay is currently its vice-chairman, with chief ministers of member states holding the position by rotation, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The meeting was organised by the Inter-State Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs, with the Tamil Nadu government acting as host.

Chief ministers, lieutenant governors, administrators and ministers from participating states and Union Territories are represented at council meetings. Chief secretaries and senior officials from both the Centre and states also participate.

Issues Discussed At Zonal Council Meetings

The council has a standing committee headed by the chief secretaries of member states.

Issues proposed by states are first examined by the standing committee. Matters requiring further deliberation can then be placed before the full Zonal Council.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has described the councils as a platform for resolving disputes and improving cooperation between states and between state governments and the Centre.

The ministry has also linked the mechanism to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “TEAM BHARAT” based on cooperative federalism.

The councils are advisory bodies and their meetings provide a forum for governments to discuss administrative, developmental and inter-state concerns.

Water-Sharing, Education Among Issues

Water-sharing disputes are among the major issues involving southern states.

Current disputes include those between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Zonal Council meetings also take up broader issues of national and regional importance, including education, civil aviation, infrastructure projects involving multiple states and the functioning of Fast Track Special Courts dealing with rape cases involving women and children, according to the Home Ministry.

Issues linked to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act and implementation of schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin have also figured in the Southern Zonal Council’s deliberations.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 69 meetings of Zonal Councils and their standing committees have been held since June 2014.