Previous Year Question

Among the given bodies, only the Inter-State Council has its basis in the Constitution.

Inter-State Council—constitutional basis

Article 263 empowers the President to establish an Inter-State Council when it appears that public interest would be served by doing so. Its possible duties include inquiring into and advising upon disputes between States, discussing subjects of common interest to the Union and States and recommending measures for improved policy coordination.

Article 263 does not itself create a permanent Council; it authorises the President to establish one. The Inter-State Council was actually established through a Presidential Order dated 28 May 1990. It is therefore a body established on a constitutional basis.

National Security Council—executive body

The National Security Council is not mentioned in the Constitution. It was established by the executive in 1998 to provide integrated policy advice on national-security matters. The Prime Minister serves as its Chairperson. The National Security Adviser, the National Security Council Secretariat and associated supporting institutions perform roles in national-security policymaking.

The National Security Council is therefore neither a constitutional body nor a statutory body created by a specific Act of Parliament; it is an executive body.

Zonal Councils—statutory bodies

Zonal Councils were established not under the Constitution but under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. Five Zonal Councils function for the Northern, Central, Eastern, Western and Southern Zones. They consider matters such as inter-State cooperation, boundary issues, economic and social planning, transport and linguistic minorities.

The North Eastern Council is not one of these five Zonal Councils. It is a separate statutory body established under the North Eastern Council Act, 1971.