Chandigarh, November 17 – Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Sh Amit Shah today chaired the 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council (NZC) in Faridabad, Haryana. The meeting was attended by Haryana Chief Minister Sh Nayab Singh Saini, Punjab Chief Minister Sh Bhagwant Mann, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sh Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Rajasthan Chief Minister Sh Bhajan Lal Sharma, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Sh Omar Abdullah, Delhi Chief Minister Smt. Rekha Gupta, Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh Sh Gulab Chand Kataria, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Sh Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Sh Vinai Kumar Saxena, and Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Sh Kavinder Gupta, along with senior ministers from these states and union territories.
Union Home Secretary, Secretary of the Inter-State Council Secretariat, Chief Secretaries/Advisors of the member states, and senior officers from state governments as well as various central ministries and departments were also present during the meeting.
At the beginning of the meeting, tributes were paid and two minutes of silence observed in memory of those who lost their lives in the recent car bomb blast in Delhi and the explosion at Nowgam Police Station in Jammu and Kashmir. The Union Home Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh Narendra Modi, eliminating terrorism from its roots is our collective commitment. He said that in line with the track record of the Modi government so far, the culprits of the Delhi bomb blast will be traced even from the netherworld, brought before the country’s judicial system, and given the strictest possible punishment.
Sh Amit Shah said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision is that strong states create a strong nation, and Zonal Councils play a very important role in translating this into reality on the ground. Zonal Councils are extremely important for dialogue, cooperation, coordination, and ‘policy synergy’. Many types of problems have been resolved through these councils. He said that even now there are several issues such as delays in ensuring speedy justice in crimes against women and children, malnutrition, and stunting that the country needs to be freed from. Emphasising speedy investigation in cases of sexual offences and rape under the POCSO Act against women and children, Sh Shah said that no civilised society can accept such heinous crimes. He said that the safety of women and children is our top priority, for this the number of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) should be increased.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the sectors of cooperation, agriculture and fisheries can become important means of eradicating poverty and providing employment. He said that poverty is being eradicated and employment is increasing through cooperation, agriculture, and fisheries. Referring to Prime Minister Sh Narendra Modi’s mantra of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi” (Prosperity through Cooperation), Sh Shah said that the cooperative sector holds immense potential for employment. He said that only through growth in employment — especially self-employment — along with Gross Domestic Product can we realise the dream of a Developed India. He said that GDP alone is not an indicator of a country’s prosperity; true prosperity is achieved only when every individual rises above the poverty line. He said that the Government of India’s Ministry of Cooperation has initiated 57 measures across the country to strengthen the cooperative sector. These include computerisation of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), establishment of three new national-level cooperative societies, and the setting up of Tribhuvan Sahkari University.
Sh Amit Shah said that the original spirit and role of Zonal Councils is advisory, but in the last decade they have been accepted as action-oriented platforms and have delivered results. He said that with follow-up, we have not only accepted issues between states, between regions and states, and between the Centre and state governments, but also created concrete pathways for their resolution. Sh Shah said that our goal is clear — Regional Strength along with National Progress and India’s Global Leadership in every field, which will lead us towards the creation of a Great India. The Home Minister said that all states should work in mutual coordination to resolve water resource management and water-related problems.
Union Home Minister said that compared to 2004–2014, the number of Zonal Council meetings from 2014 to 2025 has increased by about two-and-a-half times, and we have made these meetings meaningful. He said that between 2004 and 2014 there were a total of 25 meetings of Zonal Councils and Standing Committees, whereas from 2014 to 2025 till now, 64 meetings have been held. He said that more than doubling the number of meetings reflects Prime Minister Modi’s concept of TEAM Bharat. In these meetings, 1600 issues were discussed and 1303 issues (81.43%) were resolved. This has been possible due to the cooperation of all state governments, union territories, and central ministries and departments, with the Inter-State Council Secretariat playing an active role.
Sh Amit Shah said that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the creation of Vande Mataram. At one time, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s great composition Vande Mataram became the clarion call for our country’s freedom. Today, the Government of India and all states are working together to once again make it the clarion call for building a Great India. He said that this is an effort to instil the values of patriotism in India’s younger generation. Sh Shah appealed to all states and union territories to rekindle the spirit of patriotism among the country’s youth through the Vande Mataram song.
Referring to the implementation of the three new criminal laws, the Union Home Minister said that their enforcement has yielded very positive results. Under the new laws, the conviction rate has increased by approximately 25 to 40 percent and culprits are receiving timely punishment. He said that state governments need to make further efforts for effective implementation of these laws. At the same time, the Home Minister requested all state governments to upgrade technology from investigation and forensic analysis to online linking of courts.
Sh Amit Shah appreciated Rajasthan’s contribution to the campaign to promote millets and said that all states should increase the production and consumption of millets. He appealed to state governments to include millets in the scheme of providing 5 kg of free food grains to the poor every month. Sh Shah said that this will increase millet production, the new generation will develop the habit of eating millets, and people’s health will also improve.
In today’s meeting, along with issues of the member states, several extremely important national issues were also discussed, which included the implementation of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) for speedy investigation and prompt disposal of rape cases against women and children, availability of brick-and-mortar banking within the designated radius of every village, issues related to water sharing, environment, higher education, etc., the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112), and other matters of common interest at the regional level.
In addition, six issues of national importance were included in the agenda, which are — urban master planning, power supply system, strengthening of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACSs), eliminating malnutrition in children through the ‘Poshan Abhiyan’, reducing school dropout rates, and participation of public hospitals in the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
Union Home Minister said that the energetic land of Surajkund is not only historic but also a living testimony to rich cultural and artistic heritage and economic consciousness. The land of Surajkund and the example of Lord Suryanarayan’s Bhagirath-like efforts inspire us. It was here that Lord Krishna himself first uttered the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita with his divine mouth, and evidence of the ancient civilisation of the Indus Valley has also been found here. Sh Shah said that Haryana and Punjab are the land of the great Sikh Gurus, who not only contributed to strengthening the country’s spiritual consciousness but also made immense sacrifices for the country’s honour and freedom. Today our country is moving forward on the basis of its original traditions, but had Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji not been there, the country would not be moving on the basis of its original traditions today. He said that the great sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji and the sacrifice of the Tenth Guru gave the country great strength and showed the path of struggle.
