Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah will chair the thirty second meeting of the Northern Zonal Council in Faridabad on Monday, 17 November 2025.
The Council includes Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Chandigarh. Senior officials from the Centre, states and Union Territories will attend the meeting, which is being organised by the Inter State Council Secretariat of the Ministry of Home Affairs with Haryana as the host. The Northern Zonal Council is one of the five councils created under the States Reorganisation Act of 1956. The Union Home Minister serves as chairperson, while the Chief Minister of the host state acts as vice chairperson. Each state is represented by two ministers nominated by its Governor. Permanent committees of Chief Secretaries examine issues before they are placed before the Council.
The meeting will focus on cooperation among member states and the Centre on subjects that require coordinated action. The government said the Councils function as important platforms for dialogue on matters affecting two or more states or the Centre and the states. Officials noted that the Councils have played a key role in advancing the Prime Minister’s vision of “Team Bharat”.
Over the last eleven years, sixty three meetings of Zonal Councils and their permanent committees have been held. Although their role is advisory, the Councils have been credited with fostering cooperation in areas such as crime investigation, banking access in villages, the Emergency Response Support System, and nutrition and health related initiatives.
The upcoming meeting is expected to review progress on these themes and discuss ways to further strengthen coordination between the Centre and the northern states.
