North Eastern Council
Also called: NEC · Topic: Federalism and Centre-State Relations · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The North Eastern Council (NEC) is a statutory body, which means it was created by a law passed by Parliament: the North Eastern Council Act 1971. It brings together the north-eastern states to plan the region's development. A 2002 amendment made it a regional planning body and added Sikkim, so it now covers eight states. The Union Home Minister has chaired it since 2018.
Example
Projects that cross state lines in the North-East, such as a road linking two states, can be planned through the NEC rather than by each state alone.
Don't confuse with
- Zonal councils: these are five advisory bodies created by the States Reorganisation Act 1956, and the Union Home Minister chairs them too. The NEC comes from a separate law of 1971 and is a regional planning body.