Ranchi, Jul 10 (PTI) Eastern Zonal Council meeting, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, began here on Thursday with Jharkhand hopeful of getting special assistance and approval of schemes, officials said.

About 70 representatives from the four eastern states - Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal – are participating in the meeting, they said.

Jharkhand and Odisha chief ministers Hemant Soren and Mohan Charan Majhi are among the participants.

Security has been beefed up in the city in view of the meeting, the officials said.

"Massive security arrangements have been made in Ranchi in view of the Eastern Zonal Council meeting here to be chaired by the home minister," an official said.

Soren, in a post on X, said, "Welcomed Hon’ble Union Home Minister Amit Shah Ji to preside over the 27th Eastern Regional Council meeting held in Ranchi on the holy land of Dharti Aaba Bhagwan Birsa Munda.” Jharkhand is likely to take up the issue of Rs 1.36 lakh crore pending coal dues from PSUs, while Bihar may raise issues of water sharing with bordering states, another official said.

Bihar may take up issues related to asset division between the two states, many of which are still to be resolved after the creation of Jharkhand on November 15, 2000, he said.

Jharkhand may also raise the demand for a separate Saran religious code for tribals, as the Hemant Soren government had passed a resolution in the state assembly earlier and sent it to the Centre.

Besides, Jharkhand may demand a provision by amending the Coal Bearing Areas. (Acquisition and Development) Act to ensure that companies return land parcels to the state government after mining, the official said.

During the meeting with NITI Aayog in May, Soren had demanded that mining companies in the state be mandated to establish captive power plants with 30 per cent of the total production utilised within the state.

He had said this would also boost employment generation.

The chief minister had also urged that the special assistance provided to the Northeastern states be extended to Jharkhand.

Besides Soren, Jharkhand Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore, Minister Deepak Birua, Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari, Principal Secretary (Home) Vandana Dadel, and DGP Anurag Gupta are attending the meeting, another official said.

After about a fortnight, Soren returned to Ranchi late on Wednesday to attend the meeting as he was in Delhi, where his father and former chief minister Shibu Soren is undergoing treatment.

Bihar is being represented by ministers Vijay Choudhary and Samrat Choudhary, who arrived here on Wednesday, the official said, adding that Odisha's delegation includes CM Majhi and Deputy CM Parvati Parida.

West Bengal is being represented by Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.

Under Sections 15 to 22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, five zonal councils were established in the country.

The union home minister is the chairperson of these five zonal councils, and the chief ministers or lieutenant governors or administrators of the member states and Union territories are the members.

The zonal councils take up many important matters, including issues related to national importance such as the speedy investigation of cases of sexual offences against women and children, implementation of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) for their swift disposal, providing brick-and-mortar banking facilities within the designated area of every village, implementation of the Emergency Response Support System.

Various regional-level and common-interest issues, such as strengthening nutrition, education, health, electricity, urban planning and the cooperative system, are also discussed during such a meeting, the officials added.

The Ranchi Police have already issued a traffic advisory, prohibiting auto-rickshaws between Birsa Chowk and Sujata Chowk on July 10.

Besides, the entry of goods vehicles into the city limits will remain restricted from 6 am to 10 pm on Thursday.

The meeting was originally scheduled for May 10 but was postponed in view of the tense India-Pakistan situation then.

As per the government, the chief minister of one member state (rotating every year) acts as the vice-chairperson, while the governor nominates two ministers as members of the council from each member state.

Each zonal council has also formed a permanent committee at the level of the chief secretaries. Issues proposed by the states are initially presented to the permanent committee of the concerned zonal council for discussion, the officials said.

After consideration by the permanent committee, the remaining issues are then presented to the zonal council meeting for further deliberation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the need to leverage cooperative and competitive federalism for the all-round development of the country, they said.

With a belief that strong and vibrant states make a strong nation, the zonal councils provide a structured mechanism for dialogue and discussion on issues affecting two or more states or the Centre, and these serve as an important platform to enhance mutual cooperation, they added.

The role of the zonal councils is advisory, the officials said.

However, these councils, over the past few years, have proven to be an important factor in promoting healthy bonds of mutual understanding and cooperation in various fields.

More than 60 meetings of the various zonal councils and their permanent committees have been held in the last eleven years, they added. PTI NAM BDC BDC