Amit Shah chairs 28th Western Zonal Council meeting in Goa
The meeting will deliberate on inter-state coordination, cooperative governance and sharing of best practices among the participating states and Union Territories
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Context
Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired the 28th meeting of the Western Zonal Council in Goa, attended by Chief Ministers of member states and the Administrator of participating Union Territories. The meeting focused on inter-state coordination, cooperative governance, and a newly announced roadmap to eradicate the narcotics menace as part of the Viksit Bharat initiative.
UPSC Perspectives
Polity
The meeting highlights the operational mechanics of Cooperative Federalism in India through statutory bodies. Zonal Councils were established by the to foster cooperation among states. Unlike the , which is a constitutional body under , Zonal Councils are statutory. India has five Zonal Councils (Northern, Central, Eastern, Western, and Southern). The was created later by a separate act, the . For UPSC, remember the composition: the Union Home Minister chairs all Zonal Councils, while the Chief Ministers of member states rotate as Vice-Chairman annually. Although their role is purely advisory, they provide a crucial platform for resolving inter-state disputes and sharing best practices outside the formal legislative framework.
Governance
The structural design of the Zonal Councils demonstrates a tiered approach to conflict resolution and governance. Before issues reach the main council, they are deliberated by a Standing Committee comprising the Chief Secretaries of member states. This bureaucratic filter ensures that administrative bottlenecks are addressed before political deliberation occurs. The presence of the highlights the interconnected nature of federal dispute resolution mechanisms. This tiered system is essential for maintaining administrative efficiency and ensuring that only significant, unresolved issues escalate to the ministerial level. For Mains, this structure can be cited as an example of institutional mechanisms designed to promote consensus-building in a diverse federal setup.
Internal Security
The explicit focus on eradicating the narcotics menace links the Zonal Council's agenda directly to Internal Security challenges. The Home Minister's announcement of a roadmap for a drug-free India aligns with broader national security objectives, acknowledging that organized crime and drug trafficking are often cross-border issues requiring coordinated inter-state responses. The western coast, particularly and , is highly vulnerable to maritime drug smuggling routes. Effectively tackling this requires seamless intelligence sharing and coordinated operations between state police forces and central agencies like the , a process facilitated by forums like the Zonal Councils. This aligns with the vision, positioning internal security and social stability as prerequisites for national development.