30th Southern Zonal Council meet held in Kerala: All you need to know
The 30th edition of the Southern Zonal Council, held to resolve issues between states in south India and the Union government, was held on Saturday, September 3, in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram. Speaking at the meeting, Union Home Minister Amit Shah called for the states to explore a joint solution on the sharing of water, including the Cauvery issue between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and the Krishna river dispute between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. A total of 26 issues were discussed at the meeting. Of this, the meeting resolved nine issues, 17 were reserved for further consideration. Of the 17 issues nine were related to reorganisation of Andhra Pradesh, an official press release stated. The Home Minister urged Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to mutually resolve their pending issues.
The Zonal Council meetings are held to seek amicable settlement of disputes between the Union government and the states and inter-state disputes through mutual agreement and promotion of regional cooperation between states. The Home Minister is the chairman of the council. It consists of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Union Territory of Puducherry. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Ministers and Ministers of other southern states and Lieutenant Governors of the southern Union Territories participated in the meeting.
South states put forward demands
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sought for continuous exchange of ideas between all the stakeholders for the “successful and healthy functioning of cooperative federalism”. He also spoke on the cooperative spirit “with which we faced the unprecedented situation in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The Kerala CM said, “Differences stood apart and we rose to the need of the hour to protect and provide relief to the people. Though the immediate threat has receded, the fiscal empowerment of the Union and the states are of equal importance to meet the long impact of the pandemic on the economy.”
He also urged the Union government to “take a proactive stand to enable the states to undertake productive spending to galvanise the national economy”, the official release said. The CM cited the major problems faced by the states including Kerala, like coastal erosion and upgradation of railway and airport infrastructure, saying that these need to be taken up as they have substantial importance to the livelihoods and economy.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Andhra Pradesh Finance and Planning Minister Bugganna Rajendranath, Telangana Home Minister Mohammed Mahamood, Puducherry Lt Governor. Tamilisai Soundararajan, Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Patel, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lieutenant Governor Admiral DK. Joshy took part in the meeting.
Tamil Nadu CM Stalin urged the Union government to create a high-speed rail corridor connecting specific locations within Tamil Nadu and to neighbouring states. Such a move would be much more economical, more energy efficient and less polluting than aero planes and automobiles, he contended.
Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath, who represented the state, said growth prospects of his state diminished due to loss of Hyderabad and other industrially-developed areas, consequent to the state bifurcation in 2014. "Steps for promoting industrialisation are imperative for the development of the successor state. Section 94 of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 and assurances made in Parliament provide for tax incentives. The state requests for extending the tax incentives on the lines of those being provided to the special category states and north eastern states," he said. The incentives would help place development of the state on a firm footing and an accelerated growth trajectory, he added.
Puducherry LG Tamilisai Soundararajan sought for a central assistance of Rs 2,200 crore towards taking up infrastructure projects in the UT, including airport expansion.