Amit Shah chairs the 32nd Meeting of the Northern Zonal Council at Faridabad in Haryana
The Voice of Chandigarh:
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, chaired the 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council (NZC) held in Faridabad, Haryana. Convened by the Inter-State Council Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs, and hosted by the Government of Haryana with its Chief Minister as Vice-Chairperson, the meeting witnessed participation from the Chief Ministers of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi; the Lt. Governor of Delhi and Ladakh; the Administrator of Chandigarh; along with senior ministers and officers from member States, Central Ministries, and the Inter-State Council Secretariat.
Gulab Chand Kataria, Governor of Punjab and Administrator of UT Chandigarh, along with H. Rajesh Prasad, Chief Secretary UT Chandigarh, attended the meeting.
At the outset, the meeting observed a minute of silence to pay respect to those who lost their lives in the November 10 blast near the Red Fort.
The Council deliberated on key issues of national and regional importance and reviewed the progress of twenty seven priority agenda items, out of which thirteen points pertained to UT Chandigarh. These included the speedy investigation and disposal of cases involving sexual offences against women and children with a focus on strengthening Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs); implementation of the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112) to enhance public safety; expansion of rural and postal banking services and compliance with the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. Discussions also covered urban planning, power sector challenges, food safety and malnutrition among girl children, Ayushman Bharat–PMJAY, reduction of school dropout rates, and the Sahkar-Se-Samriddhi initiative, with each issue examined in detail for targeted follow-up and timely resolution.
During the meeting, the Administrator, UT Chandigarh, Gulab Chand Kataria, highlighted that Chandigarh is emerging as a model of good governance with significant strides across key sectors. He noted that Chandigarh is the first Union Territory to fully implement the three new criminal laws, achieving an exemplary 91% conviction rate under the reformed system. In the power sector, the UT has successfully completed the privatization of its electricity distribution network, ensuring greater efficiency and transparency.
The Administrator also underscored that Chandigarh has been declared the Best Performer under the PracheSHTA-1 category by the Ministry of Education. He further mentioned the Administration’s strong focus on sports promotion, with honorariums of up to ₹6 crore for medal-winning athletes and dedicated support for differently-abled sportspersons, reflecting UT Chandigarh’s commitment to inclusivity, excellence, and holistic development. He also shared that the forest cover of UT Chandigarh has increased from 47% to 51.4%.
Reaffirming the vision of TEAM BHARAT articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Council highlighted the pivotal role of Zonal Councils in reinforcing cooperative federalism by offering a structured platform for dialogue, coordination, and consensus-building on inter-state and Centre–State matters.
The meeting fostered coordination between the Centre, States, and Union Territories to assess progress, identify bottlenecks, and outline time-bound action plans with emphasis on inter-ministerial convergence and strengthened monitoring mechanisms.
Mandeep Singh Brar, Home Secretary; Sagar Preet Hooda, DGP Chandigarh; and Amit Kumar, Additional Secretary (Home) were also present during the meeting.
