Northern Zonal Council crucial for development, security of country: Shah

Amritsar, Sep 25 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday chaired the 31st meeting of the Northern Zonal Council in Amritsar.

The Chief Ministers of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, Lt. Governors of Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh, Administrator of Chandigarh, senior ministers from member states, Union Home Secretary, Secretary of Inter State Council Secretariat, Chief Secretaries from the member states in the northern zone and other senior officials from the states and UTs participated in the meeting.

Shah said in the last past five years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the role of zonal councils has changed from advisory nature to action platforms.

He said the Northern Zonal Council has an important place from the point of view of development and security of the country, contributing 21 per cent of the country's land and 13 per cent of its population, besides producing more than 35 per cent of the food grains produced in the country. 

Shah said the majority of personnel in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Army, guarding the country's borders, come from the states and Union Territories which are part of the Northern Zonal Council.

The Home Minister said that under the leadership of Modi, the government has been successful in cracking down on narcotics and terrorism.

He said the Modi government is committed towards strengthening the security system on the borders, and soon anti-drone system will be deployed on the country’s borders.

The Home Minister also requested all the member states to resolve their disputes related to water sharing with an open mind and mutual discussions.

Shah also asked all the member states to pay special attention to issues like cooperation movement in the country, dropout rate of school children and malnutrition, terming them as collective priority.

He said that not even a single child should remain malnourished in the country, and "it is the responsibility of all of us to reduce the school dropout rate, and, giving impetus to the cooperative movement will help in taking more than 60 crore people of the country towards prosperity". 

He urged all the member states to adopt natural and organic farming, as it will be hugely beneficial for the farmers of the nation.

Shah also assured all possible help from the Centre to the Himachal Pradesh government to deal with the flood situation in the state, and said that the whole country is standing by the state in this hour of crisis.

Shah mentioned that the meetings of the five Zonal Councils are now being convened regularly by the Inter State Council Secretariat of the Ministry of Home Affairs with the cooperation of the state governments concerned.

He observed that there has been substantial increase in the number of meetings of the Zonal Councils and its Standing Committees.