Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah today chaired the 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council (NZC) in Faridabad, Haryana. The Northern Zonal Council comprises the states and UTs of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Chandigarh. At the beginning of the meeting, tributes were paid to those who lost their lives in the recent car bomb blast in Delhi and the explosion at Nowgam Police Station in Jammu and Kashmir. During the meeting, the Home Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, eliminating terrorism from its roots is government’s collective commitment. He said that in the culprits of the Delhi bomb blast will be traced even from the netherworld, brought before the country’s judicial system, and given the strictest possible punishment.
Mr Shah said that strong states create a strong nation, and Zonal Councils play a very important role in translating this into reality on the ground. He added that Zonal Councils are extremely important for dialogue, cooperation, coordination, and policy synergy. He said, many types of problems have been resolved through these councils. He said, safety of women and children is government’s top priority and for this the number of Fast Track Special Courts should be increased. The Union Minister said that Ministry of Cooperation has initiated 57 measures across the country to strengthen the cooperative sector. These include computerisation of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, establishment of three new national-level cooperative societies, and the setting up of Tribhuvan Sahkari University. The Home Minister said that all states should work in mutual coordination to resolve water resource management and water-related problems. Union Home Minister said that as compared to 2004-2014, the number of Zonal Council meetings from 2014 to 2025 has increased by about two-and-a-half times.
Referring to the implementation of the three new criminal laws, the Union Home Minister said that their enforcement has yielded very positive results. Under the new laws, the conviction rate has increased by approximately 25 to 40 percent and culprits are receiving timely punishment. He said that state governments need to make further efforts for effective implementation of these laws. At the same time, the Home Minister requested all state governments to upgrade technology from investigation and forensic analysis to online linking of courts. Noting that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the creation of Vande Mataram. Mr Shah appealed to all states to rekindle the spirit of patriotism among the country’s youth through the Vande Mataram song.
In today’s meeting, along with issues of the member states, several extremely important national issues were also discussed. They include the implementation of Fast Track Special Courts, availability of brick-and-mortar banking within the designated radius of every village, Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112), and other matters of common interest at the regional level.
Chief Ministers of States, including Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi attended the meeting. Besides, Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh, Lieutenant Governors of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Delhi were also present in the meeting.
