Context

The Centre has reconstituted the Inter-State Council, which works to promote cooperative federalism.

About

• The government has reconstituted the Inter-State Council, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its chairman, Union Home Minister Amit Shah as head of the standing committee, and the Chief Ministers of all states and six Union Ministers as its members.
• The mandate of the council is to create a strong institutional framework to promote and support cooperative federalism in the country, activate the council and zonal councils by organising its regular meetings.
• It also facilitates consideration of all pending and emerging issues of the centre- state and inter-state relations by the zonal councils and inter-state council and develop a sound system of monitoring the implementation of the recommendations of the inter-state council and zonal councils.

About Inter-State Council

• Article 263of the Constitution of India provides for the establishment of an Inter-State Council.
• It is a constitutional body that has representatives of the Union government as well as chief ministers of states.
• The Council is not a permanent constitutional body for coordination between the states and the Center.
  • Instead, the President can establish the council at any time if it appears to him that the public interests would be served by the establishment of such a council.
• Mandate: To inquire and advise on interstate disputes and to provide recommendations for better policy coordination.
• Chaired by: The Prime Minister.
• Members: 
  • Chief Ministers of all the States and Union Territories with Assembly, 
  • the Administrators of the Union Territories without Assembly, 
  • the Governors of the States under the rule of the President, 
  • the six Ministers in the Cabinet, including the home minister, to be nominated by the PM, and 
  • Five ministers of the cabinet rank are permanent invitees of the council.
• Meetings and decisions: The council meeting are supposed to be held thrice a year and its decisions on all questions are decided by consensus.
• Formation of Standing committee: A standing committee of the council was set up in 1996 for continuous consultation and processing of matters for the consideration of the council.
  • The chairman of this standing committee is Union Home Minister.