Zonal Councils
Forums for Regional Cooperation
PART I — STRUCTURE
ORIGIN
Statutory, Not Constitutional
- Established by States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
- *Not* mentioned in the original Constitution.
- Created 5 standard zones (North, South, East, West, Central).
- Aims to arrest growth of acute state-consciousness.
COMPOSITION
The Rotating Chair
- **Chairman:** Union Home Minister (for all standard zones).
- **Vice-Chairman:** CMs of member states (rotate annually).
- **Members:** Two other ministers from each state.
- **Advisors:** NITI Aayog nominee, Chief Secs.
PART II — PURPOSE & EXCEPTION
FUNCTIONS
Regional Cooperation
- Purely advisory bodies (decisions not binding).
- Discuss matters of common interest.
- Border disputes & Linguistic minorities.
- Inter-state transport & economic planning.
THE EXCEPTION
North-Eastern Council
- Created by a separate Act: NEC Act, 1971.
- Initially 7 states (The Seven Sisters).
- Sikkim added as the 8th member in 2002.
- Functions similarly, with added focus on security.
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