Question

Assertion (A): The Home Minister of the Central Government is the chairman of all Zonal Councils.

Reason (R): The Chief Ministers of the states in each zone act as vice-chairmen on a rotational basis for a term of one year.

Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

• A. Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
• B. Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
• C. (A) is true, but (R) is false.
• D. Both (A) and (R) are false.

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

Zonal Councils in India

• Zonal Councils are statutory advisory bodies established by the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. They are not constitutional bodies.

• These councils aim to foster cooperation and coordination between the Centre and states, and among states on matters of common interest.

• There are five Zonal Councils: Northern, Central, Eastern, Western, and Southern. The North-Eastern Council is a separate statutory body established by an Act of Parliament in 1971.

Composition and Chairmanship

• The Union Home Minister is the ex-officio Chairman of all Zonal Councils. This is a key fact for competitive exams.

• The Zonal Councils include Union Ministers nominated by the President, Chief Ministers of the states in the zone, and two other ministers from each state.

• The Chief Ministers of the states forming the zone act as Vice-Chairmen of their respective Zonal Councils by rotation, each holding the office for a period of one year at a time.

Correctness of the Assertion and Reason

• Assertion (A) is true: The Union Home Minister indeed serves as the chairman for all Zonal Councils.

• Reason (R) is true: The Chief Ministers of the states within each zone rotate as vice-chairmen for one-year terms.

• Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of (A): While both statements are factually correct, the reason (R) describes the role of the vice-chairman and the rotational aspect, which does not directly explain *why* the Home Minister is the chairman. The chairmanship is a presidential appointment under the Act, intended to provide central oversight and coordination, which is distinct from the rotational vice-chairmanship.