Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Chair the 28th Western Zonal Council Meeting in Panaji, Goa
Distilled Policy Brief
- The Union Home and Cooperation Minister will chair the 28th meeting of the Western Zonal Council in Panaji, Goa, involving member states Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and the UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points
Zonal Councils are statutory bodies established under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956; the Union Home Minister is the ex-officio Chairman of all five Zonal Councils.
⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages
Zonal Councils act as a mechanism for 'Cooperative and Competitive Federalism' to resolve regional disputes and ensure policy coordination between the Centre and States.
🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill
Consider the following statements regarding the Zonal Councils in India: 1. The Zonal Councils are constitutional bodies established under Article 263 of the Constitution of India. 2. The Union Home and Cooperation Minister is the Chairman of all the Zonal Councils. 3. The Chief Ministers of the member states serve as the Vice-Chairman of the respective Zonal Council by rotation, holding office for a period of one year at a time. Which of the statements given above are correct?
- [A] 1 and 2 only
- [B] 2 and 3 only
- [C] 1 and 3 only
- [D] 1, 2 and 3
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
Zonal Councils are statutory bodies established under the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, not constitutional bodies under Article 263 (which provides for the Inter-State Council). Thus, statement 1 is incorrect. The Union Home and Cooperation Minister is the common Chairman of all five Zonal Councils, making statement 2 correct. The Chief Ministers of the member states act as the Vice-Chairman of the Council by rotation each year, making statement 3 correct.
🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)
Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.