RANCHI: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday felicitated Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the 27th Eastern Zonal Council meeting in Ranchi. Amit Shah will chair the meeting.

The meeting is being attended by Chief Ministers and delegates from four eastern states  Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal.

The senior BJP leader arrived in Ranchi on Wednesday evening. He was welcomed by State BJP president Babulal Marandi and senior party workers.

The office of Amit Shah also shared pictures on its official social media platform.

"Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri @AmitShah ji arrived in Ranchi, Jharkhand for the 27th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council. At the airport, State President Shri @yourBabulal ji and senior workers welcomed him".

CM Hemant Soren also felicitated Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi and Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Choudharyand West Bengal Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya also felicitated; She is representing CM Mamata Banerjee.

The last meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council was held in Patna on December 10, 2023. Five Zonal Councils (Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern and Central) were set up in the year 1957 under Section 15-22 of the States Reorganization Act, 1956.

The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these five Zonal Councils, and the Chief Minister of the host state, to be chosen by rotation every year, is the Vice-Chairman.Two more Ministers from each State are nominated as Members by the Governor.

The Council takes up issues involving the Centre and States, and among Member-States falling in the Zone, and thus provide a forum for resolving disputes and irritants between them.

The Zonal Councils discuss a broad range of issues, which include boundary-related disputes, security, infrastructure-related matters like road, transport, industries, water and power, matters pertaining to forests and the environment, housing, and education.