Question

Which of the following is/are correct regarding the North-Eastern Zonal Council?

i. It includes Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Sikkim.

ii. Its headquarters is located in Shillong.

iii. It operates under the same legal framework as the other five Zonal Councils.

• A. Only i
• B. Only i and ii
• C. Only ii and iii
• D. All of the above (i, ii, and iii)

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Only i and ii

North-Eastern Zonal Council (NEZC)

• The NEZC comprises the following states: Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Sikkim.
• The Secretariat of the NEZC is situated in Shillong, Meghalaya.
• The Zonal Councils, including the NEZC, were established by the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
• However, the NEZC was set up later in 1971 through a presidential warrant.
• The NEZC operates under the same legal framework and objectives as the other five Zonal Councils (Northern, Central, Eastern, Western, and Southern).
• Its primary aim is to foster cooperative federalism and coordinated action among the member states on various matters of common interest.
• Key areas of cooperation include economic and social planning, linguistic minorities, border disputes, and transport and communication.
• The Union Home Minister is the ex-officio chairman of all Zonal Councils, and the Chief Ministers of the member states are its vice-chairmen on a rotational basis.
• The NEZC acts as a forum for discussing and resolving issues affecting the North-Eastern region.