Zonal councils are advisory bodies in nature and yet we have been able to resolve many issues successfully and provide an opportunity for interaction between members at the highest level

Only 5 meetings of Zonal Councils were held in 7 years before Prime Minister Modi formed the government, whereas this is the 18th meeting in the last 7 years

Now meetings of various Zonal Councils are called regularly and this has been possible only with the cooperation of State Governments as well as Central Ministries and Departments

40 out of 51 pending cases agreed upon during today’s meeting

Shri Narendra Modi believes development of a country like India is not possible without strengthening federal structure and that is only possible through a federal structure and its strength can take our country forward

It is endeavor of the Ministry of Home Affairs to organize at least 10 meetings of the Standing Committees every year, as meetings of Standing Committees not only set the agenda, but also resolves many issues at the Standing Committee level

In last 7 years more than 560 issues have been resolved in meetings of the Standing Committees and Zonal Councils, the most since 1956

Unresolved issues have been reduced to a very minimum level, however Union Home Minister wanted them to reach almost zero

States should accelerate pace of administering second dose of COVID-19 vaccines at the sub-division level and below, Chief Ministers and officials should monitor progress

Government of India has started the work of amending the Indian Penal Code, Cr PC and the Evidence Act and the states should present their views for amendments by involving officials and experts

Chief Ministers must prioritize tackling menace and spread of drugs as drug use destroys lives and potential of our youth

To expedite prosecution, states should set up an independent prosecution institution

A National Forensic Science University and a National Defense University have been established on the initiative of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi

States should establish at least one Forensic Science College with curriculum in local language, so that they have trained personnel who meet requirements of forensic investigation

There should be zero tolerance in POCSO offenses and priority should be given to POCSO cases

Crimes against children are unacceptable and 60 day time limit must be adhered to

Government of India has decided to observe 15 November as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.

This day will be celebrated every year through different formats during a one week period to highlight the contribution of tribal communities in our Freedom Struggle and national development

Union Home Minister urged Chief Ministers to prepare an action plan in their states to highlight and exhibit contribution of tribal community  in India's Freedom Struggle and development of their states

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, chaired the 29th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Tirupati today. Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Puducherry, Lieutenant Governors of Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Administrator of Lakshadweep attended the meeting. The Ministers of the states of the Southern Zonal Council, the Union Home Secretary, Secretary of the Inter-State Council and the Chief Secretaries and other senior officers of the respective states and Union Territories were also present in the meeting. The Union Home Minister thanked the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for organizing the 29th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Tirupati, the holy city of Lord Shree Venkateswara.

Shri Amit Shah said that the ancient culture, traditions and languages of the states of southern India enrich the culture and ancient heritage of India. He said India’s development cannot be imagined without the significant contribution of the states of Southern India. He said that Indian culture has diversity and especially the culture, languages and traditions of Southern India attract not only those from our country but also from world. Shri Amit Shah said that Modi Government respects all regional languages and hence in today's meeting facility of translation has been provided in all the languages of the member states of the Southern Zonal Council. The Home Minister said in future he would be happy to see delegates speaking in their respective language.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the Southern states make a huge contribution to the tourism sector, the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, the Information Technology (IT) and the service sector, as well as the manufacturing sector. Over the years, the Council has proved fruitful in promoting healthy discussions of mutual understanding and cooperation in many areas. We have succeeded in developing a coordinated approach between the states through exchange of discussions. He said that the beginning made in 1956 has progressed in a mature manner.

The Union Home Minister said that the popular Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during the last 7 years has greatly enhanced the importance of Zonal Councils. Shri Narendra Modi believes that the development of a country like India is not possible without strengthening the federal structure. He said that only the federal structure and its strength can take our country forward. Shri Amit Shah said that only 5 meetings of Zonal Councils were held in 7 years before Prime Minister Modi formed the government, whereas this is the 18th meeting in the last 7 years. He said that in the last one-and-a-half years due to COVID-19 pandemic, meetings of the zonal councils could not be held, but I am confident that in the next two years we will make up for this loss. In the meeting of the Southern Zonal Council held in Tirupati today under the chairmanship of the Union Home Minister, 40 out of 51 pending cases were agreed upon. Shri Shah said that it the endeavor of the Ministry of Home Affairs to organize at least 10 meetings of the Standing Committees every year, as meetings of the Standing Committees not only set the agenda, but also resolves many issues at the Standing Committee level. He said in the last 7 years more than 560 issues have been resolved in meetings of the Standing Committees and Zonal Councils. This is the most since 1956. This shows how successful zonal councils have been, despite having an advisory role. Shri Amit Shah said unresolved issues have been reduced to a very minimum level, he however wanted them to reach almost zero.

Shri Amit Shah congratulated and thanked representatives of all the states on behalf of the Government of India for crossing the target of 100 crore vaccinations in the world’s biggest COVID-19 vaccination campaign, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, 111 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far, and this is a big achievement and an example of cooperative federalism. It is the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take advantage of cooperative and competitive federalism to achieve all round development of the country. The Home Minister said that when the pandemic started, it was said that India would not be able to cope, however, India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strengthened its basic health infrastructure. Along with this, there has been a rapid increase in the domestic production of vaccines. Today we have conquered the fear about the pandemic and the central government will continue to do everything possible to cover all states under the immunization programme.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, in his concluding address said that the states should accelerate the pace of administering the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines at the sub-division level and below, Chief Ministers and officials should monitor the progress. He said that the Government of India has started the work of amending the Indian Penal Code, Cr PC and the Evidence Act and the states should present their views for amendments by involving officials and experts. The Chief Ministers must prioritize tackling the menace and spread of drugs as drug use destroys the lives and potential of our youth. To expedite prosecution, states should set up an independent prosecution institution.

Shri Amit Shah said a National Forensic Science University and a National Defense University have been established on the initiative of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, all States should establish at least one Forensic Science College with curriculum in the local language, so that they have trained personnel who meet the requirements of forensic investigation. There should be zero tolerance in POCSO offenses and priority should be given to POCSO cases. Crimes against children are unacceptable and a time limit of 60 days must be adhered to.

The Union Home Minister said the Government of India has decided to observe 15 November as Janjatiy Gaurav Diwas. This day will be celebrated every year through different formats during a one week period, to highlight the contribution of tribal communities in our Freedom Struggle and national development. The Union Home Minister urged the Chief Ministers to prepare an action plan in their states to highlight and exhibit the contribution of the tribal community in India's Freedom Struggle and development of their states.

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