The meeting of the Northern Zonal Council (NZC) is underway at Faridabad in Haryana. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is chairing the meeting. The Northern Zonal Council comprises the states and UTs of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Chandigarh. 

 

 

Chief Minister of Rajasthan Bhajan Lal Sharma, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Lieutenant Governors of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governors of Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta and Senior officials are also participating in the meeting. During the meeting, a moment of silence was observed to pay tribute to the victims of the Delhi Red Fort blast. Coordination among the state governments, water sharing issues and development work are expected to be discussed in the meeting.

 

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the vision of TEAM BHARAT, and the Zonal Councils have been significantly contributing in this direction. With the belief that strong states make a strong nation, the Zonal Councils provide a structured mechanism for dialogue and discussion on issues affecting two or more states or the centre and states. The role of the Zonal Councils is advisory; however, over the past few years, these councils have proven to be an important factor in promoting healthy bonds of mutual understanding and cooperation in various fields.

 

 

The Zonal Councils also discuss broad issues of national importance, including the speedy investigation of cases of sexual offences against women and children and the implementation of Fast Track Special Courts for their swift disposal. A total of 63 meetings of the various Zonal Councils and their permanent committees have been held in the last eleven years.