RAS question
Zonal Councils in India were established under:
Correct answer: (B) States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
Zonal Councils in India were established under Part III of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
Explanation
Zonal Councils were not created by a constitutional article or a presidential executive order; they were set up by Parliament through Part III of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. The Ministry of Home Affairs explains that the idea arose during the reorganisation of states, when a high-level advisory forum was needed to reduce linguistic friction, encourage cooperative working, and deal with Centre-State and inter-State issues. The Act created five Zonal Councils: Northern, Central, Eastern, Western, and Southern. Each Council is chaired by the Union Home Minister. The North-Eastern states are treated separately through the North Eastern Council, which was created under a separate law.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) An executive order of the President is wrong because the MHA identifies Part III of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 as the legal basis for setting up the five Zonal Councils.
- (C) The Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956 concerns water disputes, whereas Zonal Councils are advisory regional bodies created under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
- (D) Article 263 is wrong because the Zonal Councils are not constitutional bodies; the cited MHA page traces them to the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
Concept
This tests statutory bodies in Indian polity, especially institutions linked to Centre-State and inter-State cooperation. RAS repeats this area because Rajasthan is part of the Northern Zonal Council and such bodies often appear in governance questions.