Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah will chair the 29th meeting of the Northern Zonal Council here on September 20.
The Northern Zonal Council comprises of the states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, National Capital Territory of Delhi and Union Territories of Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
Apart from the Northern Zonal council, Eastern, Western, Southern and Central councils exist in the country.
Each Zonal Council meets when the Chairman of the Council decides as per the States Re-organisation Act. Since their inception in 1957, the Zonal Councils have met 106 times.
Each Zonal Council has set up a Standing Committee consisting of Chief Secretaries of the member states. These Standing Committees meet from time to time to resolve the issues or to do the necessary groundwork for further meetings of the Zonal Councils. Senior Officers of the Planning Commission and other Central Ministries are also associated with the meetings depending upon necessity.
The last meeting of Northern Zonal Council was held in Shimla on October 25, 2005.