Zonal Councils

Zonal Councils are advisory bodies in India created to promote interstate cooperation and coordination. They were set up under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 to strengthen the fabric of cooperative federalism.

🔹 Number & Composition

There are five Zonal Councils, each covering a group of states and Union Territories:

Northern Zonal Council – Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, NCT of Delhi, Chandigarh, Ladakh

Central Zonal Council – Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand

Eastern Zonal Council – Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal

Western Zonal Council – Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu

Southern Zonal Council – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Puducherry

👉 Apart from these, there is also a North-Eastern Council (NEC) created separately in 1971, which is not one of the original five but works in a similar way for the northeastern states.

🔹 Composition

Chairperson – Union Home Minister

Vice-Chairman – Chief Minister of the host state (rotational basis)

Members – Chief Ministers & Governors of states in the zone, and two Union Ministers nominated by the Centre

Advisory Members – Senior officers from the central and state governments

🔹 Functions of Zonal Councils

Promote economic and social planning between states.

Resolve inter-state disputes (like water sharing, transport, boundary issues).

Discuss matters of common interest:

Economic & social planning

Border disputes

Inter-state transport