A forum for the Centre and the states to cooperate and exchange ideas and experiences on issues related to health, social welfare and security will meet in Chandigarh on Friday.
The 28th meeting of the Northern Zonal Council will be chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and chief ministers of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi and administrator of the Union territory of Chandigarh are expected to attend it.
As many as 18 issues will be taken up for discussion and decision in the meeting, an official release said.
Matters of common interest pertaining to infrastructure, health, security, social welfare, linguistic minorities and border disputes may be taken up.
The 27th meeting of the northern zonal council was held in New Delhi on April 25, 2015. In that meeting, 25 items were taken up, out of which 14 items were disposed of.
A meeting of the standing committee of the northern zonal council was held on the May 26, 2016 in Srinagar to scrutinise the agenda for this meeting.
In the meeting held in Srinagar, 35 agenda items were taken up, out of which 28 issues were resolved at the level of the standing committee.
The states have been divided into five zones and each zone has its council comprising the chief minister, two ministers and the chief secretary of each state.
The zonal councils provide a forum where irritants between the Centre and states and amongst the states themselves can be resolved through free and frank discussion and consultations.
Being advisory bodies, there is full scope for free exchange of views at these meetings.
In particular, a zonal council may discuss, and make recommendations with regard to any matter of common interest in the field of economic and social planning, any matter concerning border disputes, linguistic minorities or inter- state transport and any matter connected with, or arising out of, the reorganisation of the states.
The zonal councils aim to discuss and resolve many substantive issues of development concerning regional interest and national programmes through its consultative mechanism.
The zonal councils are headed by the union home minister and each zone nominates one chief minister as its vice- chairman on rotation basis.
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