Amit Shah to chair the Northern Zonal Council meeting in Faridabad on November 17.
States and UTs will discuss women’s safety, education, health, banking access and regional issues.
The council serves as a platform for resolving Centre–state and inter-state matters.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to preside over the 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council in Faridabad on Monday, with a wide range of administrative and social sector issues on the agenda, PTI reported.
The council — covering Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Chandigarh — will bring together chief ministers, lieutenant governors and senior officials from the Centre, states and Union territories.
An official statement said the zonal councils serve as a platform to address and advance matters between the Centre and the participating states and Union territories, as well as among the members themselves, reported PTI.
The meeting is expected to take up key national-level concerns, including quicker investigation of crimes against women and children, and the functioning of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) for faster disposal of such cases. Other subjects include ensuring brick-and-mortar banking services in every village, and improving the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112).
Regional priorities such as nutrition, education, health services, electricity, urban development and the cooperative sector will also come up for discussion during the session near the national capital.
The Northern Zonal Council is one of five councils formed under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. The Union home minister chairs the body, while the Haryana chief minister serves as vice-chairperson. Each year, a chief minister from one of the member states is designated as the rotating vice-chairperson, and governors nominate two ministers from their states as members.
Permanent committees, led by chief secretaries, scrutinise proposals before they move to the full council meeting, PTI reported.
The statement also noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “TEAM BHARAT” has guided the recent work of the zonal councils, which have taken on a greater role in fostering cooperation across sectors. Over the past 11 years, 63 meetings of the zonal councils and their permanent committees have been held, according to PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)
