Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh): Union Minister of Home Amit Shah will chair the 29th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council comprising Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, and Union Territories of Puducherry, Lakshadweep and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands here in Tirupati on Sunday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined the need to leverage cooperative and competitive federalism to achieve all-around growth. Zonal Councils provide the platform to foster such collaboration through a structured mechanism for dialogue and discussion on a continuous basis on the issues affecting two or more states or the Centre and States, in the spirit that strong States make a strong nation.
Amit Shah has given impetus to this vision of cooperative federalism to empower States and promote a better understanding between the Centre and States in the policy framework, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs. He has stressed using the platform of the Zonal Council for dispute resolving and promoting cooperative federalism.
Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Jaganmohan Reddy is the Vice-Chairman and host. Other Chief Ministers from the States in the Zone, along with two Ministers each are the Members. Chief Secretaries and senior officers from the State governments and the Central government will also attend the meeting.
The Zonal Councils take up issues involving Centre and States and one or many States falling in the Zone. The Zonal Councils, thus, provide a forum for resolving disputes and irritants between Centre and States and among many States in the Zone.
The Zonal Councils discuss a broad range of issues, which include boundary related disputes, security, infrastructure related matters like road, transport, industries, water, and power etc., matters pertaining to forests and environment, housing, education, food security, tourism and transport.
