Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah chairs 26th meeting of the Central Zonal Council in Bastar, Chhattisgarh

📌 Summary:

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired the 26th meeting of the Central Zonal Council (CZC) in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, attended by the Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

• The CZC comprises Chhattisgarh, MP, UP and Uttarakhand; the meeting was organised by the Inter-State Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs, with Chhattisgarh as host.

• Shah said the meeting marks the historic milestone of a Naxal-free India, with the Bastar region itself now Naxal-free, and noted that no inter-state or Centre-State disputes remain pending in the four-state region.

• On cooperative federalism, he said Zonal Council meetings rose from 11 (2004-2014) to 32 (2014-2026), Standing Committee meetings from 14 to 35, and issues discussed from 569 to 1,729, with nearly 80% resolved.

• He urged focus on Jal Jeevan Mission, the fight against malnutrition, reducing school dropout rates, banking access within 5 km for Direct Benefit Transfer, and four sectors: urban planning, public health, financial inclusion and power-sector reforms.

• On criminal justice, he sought 100% conviction in POCSO and rape cases through timely DNA testing, special courts for cases pending over five years, upgraded cyber-helpline 1930 call centres, and disposal of every criminal case up to the Supreme Court within three years (by 2029).

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 — Polity; cooperative federalism, Zonal Councils, and inter-state coordination mechanisms.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Zonal Councils are statutory bodies created under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956; there are five Zonal Councils.

• The Central Zonal Council comprises Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

• The Union Home Minister is the ex-officio Chairman of each Zonal Council; the Inter-State Council Secretariat services the Zonal Councils.

• The national cyber-crime helpline number is 1930.

🔑 Key Term: Zonal Councils — statutory advisory bodies set up under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 to promote inter-state cooperation and resolve Centre-State and inter-state disputes within a zone.