Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah will chair the 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council on Monday, 17 November 2025, in Faridabad, Haryana. The council brings together the states and Union Territories of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, and Chandigarh. Senior officials from the Centre, state governments, and UT administrations are also set to participate.
The meeting is being organized by the Inter-State Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs, in collaboration with the Government of Haryana, the host state.
Established under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, the five Zonal Councils—including the Northern Zonal Council—serve as key platforms to strengthen cooperation between the Centre and states. While the Union Home Minister chairs the Council, the Chief Minister of Haryana serves as vice-chairperson. Additionally, one Chief Minister from the member states takes on the role of rotating vice-chairperson each year, and two ministers from each state are nominated by their Governors to the council.
Ahead of every Zonal Council meeting, a permanent committee of Chief Secretaries reviews issues raised by states, enabling structured deliberations before matters are placed before the Council.
The Centre highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “TEAM BHARAT” continues to guide the functioning of the Zonal Councils. Emphasizing that strong states make a strong nation, the Councils have evolved into effective mechanisms for resolving inter-state and Centre-state issues and for promoting regional cooperation.
Though advisory in nature, Zonal Councils have played a significant role in fostering coordination on a range of issues. Over the past eleven years, 63 meetings of Zonal Councils and their permanent committees have been held.
Key agenda points often include:
Faster investigation and disposal of cases involving sexual offences against women and children
Expanding brick-and-mortar banking access to every village
Implementation of the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112)
Strengthening nutrition, health, education, electricity supply, urban planning, and cooperative institutions across states
Monday’s meeting is expected to take forward discussions on several such regional and national issues, furthering collaborative federalism through this vital inter-governmental platform.
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