With reference to the Zonal Councils, consider the following statements.
1. The Zonal Councils are the statutory bodies.
2. Prime Minister is the chairman of the zonal council.
3. All zonal councils in India are established under the States Reorganisation Act 1956.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The correct answer is 1 only.
Confusion Points
- The Northern Zonal Council, The Central Zonal Council, The Eastern Zonal Council, The Western Zonal Council and The Southern Zonal Council are established by an Act of the Parliament, that is, the States Reorganisation Act of 1956.
- In addition to the above Zonal Councils, a North-Eastern Council was created by a separate Act of Parliament i.e. the North-Eastern Council Act of 1971. Hence, statement 3 is NOT correct.
Key Points
- Zonal Councils:
- The Zonal Councils are the statutory (and not the constitutional) bodies. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
- They are established by an Act of the Parliament, that is, the States Reorganisation Act of 1956.
- There are 5 five Zonal councils:
- The Northern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, National Capital Territory of Delhi, and Union Territory of Chandigarh.
- The Central Zonal Council, comprising the States of Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
- The Eastern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, and West Bengal.
- The Western Zonal Council, comprising the States of Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and the Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
- The Southern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
- North-Eastern Council
- In addition to the above Zonal Councils, a North-Eastern Council was created by a separate Act of Parliament i.e. the North-Eastern Council Act of 1971.
- Its functions are similar to those of the zonal councils, but with few additions.
- Its members include Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Sikkim.
- While forming these zones, several factors have been taken into account which includes:
- The natural divisions of the country, the river systems and means of communication, the cultural and linguistic affinity, and the requirements of economic development, security, and law and order.
- They are only deliberative and advisory bodies.
- Composition:-
- Chairman: The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these Councils. Hence, statement 2 is NOT correct.
- Vice-Chairman: The Chief Ministers of the States included in each zone act as Vice-Chairman of the Zonal Council for that zone by rotation, each holding office for a period of one year at a time.
- Members: Chief Minister and two other Ministers as nominated by the Governor from each of the States and two members from Union Territories included in the zone.
- Advisers: One person nominated by the Planning Commission (which has been replaced by NITI Ayog now) for each of the Zonal Councils, Chief Secretaries, and another officer/Development Commissioner nominated by each of the States included in the Zone.
- Union Ministers are also invited to participate in the meetings of Zonal Councils depending upon necessity.

