Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday chaired the 28th meeting of the Western Zonal Council in Dona Paula, Goa, with representatives from Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu participating in the discussions. The meeting was organised by the Inter-State Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs and hosted by the Goa government.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Shah is the Chairman of the Western Zonal Council, while Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant serves as its Vice-Chairman. The council comprises the Chief Ministers of the states in the western region along with two senior ministers from each state. Senior officials from the Centre, state governments and the Union Territory administration also participated in the meeting.
The Zonal Councils provide a structured platform for discussions on issues involving two or more states or matters requiring coordination between the Centre and states. Their role is advisory, but the councils have increasingly been used to strengthen cooperation and mutual understanding across areas affecting regional and national development. The mechanism is based on the principle of cooperative federalism and supports the broader objective of strengthening coordination among governments.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised the importance of both cooperative and competitive federalism for achieving all-round development, with the principle that stronger states contribute to a stronger nation. Over the past 12 years, with the participation of state governments, central ministries and departments, 70 meetings of various Zonal Councils and their Standing Committees have been held, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The councils also take up issues of wider national importance, including faster investigation and disposal of cases involving rape against women and children and the implementation of Fast Track Special Courts. Other subjects include the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112), food safety standards, expansion of banking facilities in villages, nutrition, education, healthcare, power sector reforms and urban planning.
Discussions at the councils also cover strengthening the cooperative system, cybercrime and digital infrastructure, among other areas requiring coordination between governments. The Western Zonal Council meeting therefore provided a platform for Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and the Union Territory to discuss shared concerns and strengthen cooperation with the Centre on issues affecting administration and development.
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