Amit Shah reaches Varanasi to chair Central Zonal Council meeting

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday June 24, 2025 participated in the 25th meeting of the Central Zonal Council chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Varanasi. Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh also joined him in this meeting-Photo Credit-CG-PR

Union home and cooperation minister Amit Shah offers prayers, Yogi Adityanath hosts dinner for him, and all CMs

Union home and cooperation minister Amit Shah arrived in Varanasi on Monday June 23, 2025 ahead of the 25th Central Zonal Council meeting, which he was to chair on Tuesday June 24, 2025 .

Varanasi: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, UP BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary and top officials welcomed Shah at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport.

Tuesday June 24, 2025 ’s meeting was attended by chief ministers of four states – Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Pushkar Singh Dhami (Uttarakhand), Mohan Yadav (Madhya Pradesh) and Vishnu Deo Sai (Chhattisgarh).

In an X post in Hindi, Adityanath said, “Hearty welcome to the Honourable Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah in the holy city of Kashi, the abode of Devadidev Mahadev!”

From the airport, Shah, accompanied by Adityanath, headed to the Kaal Bhairav Temple where the two leaders offered prayers amid the chanting of Vedic mantras. Thereafter, Shah met the BJP workers waiting for him outside the temple.

The party workers showered flowers on Shah’s convoy on the route from the airport to the Kaal Bhairav temple and from there to the hotel. Drums were also played at various locations. City unit BJP president Pradeep Agrahari led the party workers.

Later, Adityanath hosted a dinner for Shah, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in a prominent city hotel. A team of about 140 officials was also present at the dinner.

The Central Zonal Council meeting commenced at 11 am and concluded at 2.0 pm on Tuesday June 24, 2025

Tight security arrangements have been made across the city with special focus in and around the venue, said deputy commissioner of police (Crime) Saravanan T and added that 10 companies of PAC have been deployed.

Geo fencing has been done around the Kashi Vishwanath Temple area in order that no drone can enter the locality.

The Central Zonal Council comprises the states of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The meeting was also attended by two senior ministers from each state. The chief secretaries of the state governments and other senior officials, as well as senior officials from the Central Government, also also participateed in the meeting.

The Central Zonal Council meeting got organised by the Inter-State Council Secretariat under the Union ministry of home affairs in collaboration with the government of Uttar Pradesh.

The Zonal Councils discuss broad issues of national importance, including the speedy investigation of cases of sexual offences against women and children and the implementation of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) for their swift disposal.

The council has also emphasised on providing brick-and-mortar banking facilities within the designated area of every village; implementation of the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112) and various regional-level common interest issues such as strengthening nutrition, education, health, electricity, urban planning, and the cooperative system.

Five Zonal Councils were established under Sections 15 to 22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.

The Union home minister was the chairperson of these five Zonal Councils. The chief ministers/lieutenant governors/administrators of the member states and Union Territories are their members.

Among these members, the chief minister of one member state (rotating every year) acts as the vice-chairman .

Each Zonal Council has also formed a permanent committee at the level of chief secretaries. Issues proposed by the states are initially presented to the permanent committee of the Zonal Council for discussion. After consideration by the committee, the remaining issues were then presented to the Zonal Council meeting for further deliberation, according to an official press statement.

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