Inter-State Relations

Articles related to inter-state relations

1. Adjudication of inter-state water disputes (Article 262)
2. Coordination through inter-state councils (Article 263)
3. Mutual recognition of public acts, records and judicial proceedings
4. Freedom of inter-state trade, commerce and intercourse.

Tribunals for inter-state water disputes

Inter-State Council establishment

• The Sarkaria Commission on Centre-State Relations (1983–88) recommended for the establishment of a permanent Inter-State Council (Article 263)
• It is to be called as the Inter-Governmental Council.
• The Janata Dal Government headed by V. P. Singh established the Inter-State Council in 1990.

Members:

• Prime minister - the Chairman
• Chief ministers of all the states
• Chief ministers of union territories (Delhi, Puducherry)
• Administrators of union territories
• Governors of States under President’s rule
• Six Central cabinet ministers (nominated by the Prime Minister).
• Five Ministers of Cabinet rank / Minister of State (independent charge)
• The council is a recommendatory body. The Council may meet at least thrice in a year.
• There is also a Standing Committee of the Council. It was set up in 1996.

It consists of the following members:

• (i) Union Home Minister as the Chairman
• (ii) Five Union Cabinet Ministers
• (iii) Nine Chief Ministers

The Council is assisted by a secretariat called the Inter-State Council Secretariat (set-up in 1991) . Since 2011, it is also functioning as the secretariat of the Zonal Councils

Zonal Councils

1) The Zonal Councils are the statutory (and not the constitutional) bodies.
2) Advisory bodies
3) The Zonal Councils are established by States Reorganization Act of 1956.
4) The country is divided into five zones (Northern, Central, Eastern, Western and Southern) and provided a zonal council for each zone.

Members of Zonal Council :

(a) home minister of Central government.
(b) chief ministers of all the States in the zone.
(c) Two other ministers from each state in the zone.
(d) Administrator of each union territory in the zone.

Functions of Zonal Council:

1) Promoting cooperation and coordination between states, union territories and the Centre.
2) Make recommendations regarding matters like economic and social
3) planning, linguistic minorities, border disputes, interstate transport.
4) To achieve integration of the country
5) To cooperate with each other in major development projects.
6) To secure political equilibrium between different regions of the country.

North-Eastern Council

• North-Eastern Council was created by the North-Eastern Council Act of 1971.
• Members - Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachala Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim.
• Its functions are similar to those of the zonal councils.

Zonal Councils: