Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah chaired the 31st meeting of the Northern Zonal Council at Amritsar, in Punjab today. Chief Ministers of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, Lt. Governors of Delhi, Jammu Kashmir & Ladakh, Administrator of Chandigarh, Senior Ministers from member States and senior officers attended the meeting among others.
 
Home Minister Amit Shah said that in the last 5 years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the role of zonal councils has changed from advisory nature to action platforms. He said that Northern Zonal Council has an important place from the point of view of development and security of the country, with 21 percent of the country's land and 13 percent of the population, more than 35 percent of the food grains are produced in the Northern region. Mr Shah said, the majority of personnel in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Army, guarding the country's borders, come from the states and Union Territories in the Northern Zonal Council.

The Union Home Minister said, the government has been successful in cracking down on narcotics and terrorism. He said that the Modi government is committed towards strengthening the security system on the border, and soon anti-drone system will be deployed on our country’s borders. Home Minister requested all the member states of the Northern Zonal Council to resolve their disputes related to water sharing with an open mind and mutual discussion.

Mr. Shah asked all the member states to pay special attention to issues like cooperation movement in the country, dropout rate of school children and malnutrition, terming them as collective priority. He urged all member states to adopt natural and organic farming, as it will be hugely beneficial for the farmers of the country.

Union Home Minister assured all possible help from the Centre to the Himachal Pradesh government to deal with flood situation in the state and said that the whole country is standing by Himachal in this hour of crisis.

The Northern Zonal Council in the 31st meeting at Amritsar discussed a total of 28 issues including the sharing of inter-state river waters, Road connectivity under PMGSY, Prevention of cyber-crimes, Jal Jeevan Mission, Resumption of Flights under UDAN Scheme.