Polity

Role of southern States key in country’s development: Shah. Use Zonal Councils to settle disputes, says Home Minister

·         The Zonal Councils ar the statutory (and not the constitutional) bodies.

·         They are established by an Act of the Parliament, that is, States reorganization Act of 1956.

·         The act divided the country into 5 zones (Northern, Central, Eastern, Western and Southern) and provided a zonal council for every zone.

·         While forming these zones, many factors has been taken into consideration that includes: the natural divisions of the country, the stream systems and means that of communication, the cultural and linguistic affinity and also the needs of economic development, security and law and order. every zonal council consists of the subsequent

members:

a)      home minister of Central government.

b)      chief ministers of all the States in the zone.

c)      Two other ministers from each state in the zone.

d)     Administrator of each union territory in the zone.

·         Besides, the following persons can be associated with the zonal council as advisors (i.e., without the right to vote in the meetings):

a)      a person nominated by the Planning Commission;

b)      chief secretary of the government of each state in the zone; and

c)      development commissioner of each state in the zone.

·         The home minister of Central government is that the common chairman of the 5 zonal councils.

·         Each chief minister acts as a vice-chairman of the council by rotation, holding workplace for a amount of 1 year at a time.

·         The zonal councils aim at promoting cooperation and coordination between states, union territories and therefore the Centre.

·         They discuss and make recommendations regarding matters like economic and social planning, linguistic minorities, border disputes, inter-state transport, and so on.

·         They are only deliberative and advisory bodies.

·         The objectives (or the functions) of the zonal councils, in detail, are as follows: To achieve an emotional integration of the country.

·         To assist in impressive the growth of acute state-consciousness, regionalism, linguism and particularistic trends.

·         To facilitate in removing the after-effects of separation in some cases so the method of reorganization, integration and economic advancement might synchronise.

·         To authorize the Centre and states to collaborate with one another in social and economic matters and exchange concepts and knowledge so as to evolve uniform policies.

·         To collaborate with one another within the successful  and speedy execution of major development projects.

·         To secure some quite political equilibrium between completely different regions of the country.