Amit Shah to Chair 28th Eastern Zonal Council Meeting in Odisha Soon

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to chair the 28th Eastern Zonal Council meeting in Odisha on November 29, focusing on national issues like fast-track courts, regional infrastructure, and emergency response support systems.

Amit Shah to Chair 28th Eastern Zonal Council Meeting in Odisha Soon

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to chair the 28th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council in Odisha on November 29, covering a wide range of issues of national importance such as implementation of Fast Track Special Courts for speedy trial and speedy disposal of rape cases against women and children, among others.

Issues like brick-and-mortar banking facilities within the designated radius of each village, implementation of Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112) and various issues of common interest at the regional level, including nutrition, education, health, power, urban planning and strengthening of cooperative systems, are also learnt to be discussed in the day-long meeting. The Eastern Zonal Council comprises the states of Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. The meeting is learnt to be attended by Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari along with the Chief Secretaries and other senior officials of the member states and senior officials of the Central government. The meeting is being organised by the Inter-State Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs in collaboration with the government of Odisha. In the 2024 meeting, long-pending complex issues related to Masanjore Dam, Taiyabpur Barrage and Indrapuri Reservoir were discussed in detail along with others. Five Zonal Councils were established under Sections 15 to 22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of the five Zonal Councils, and the Chief Ministers, Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of the Member States, Union Territories are its members, of whom the Chief Minister of one state from the member states is the Vice-Chairman by rotation every year. Two ministers from each member state are nominated by the Governor as members of the Council. Each Zonal Council has also constituted a Standing Committee at the level of Chief Secretaries. The issues proposed by the states are first placed for discussion before the Standing Committee of the respective Zonal Council. After consideration in the Standing Committee, the remaining issues are placed for consideration in the meeting of the Zonal Council.