Zonal Councils Practice Questions
16 free Zonal Councils practice questions for the Indian Polity. Tap an option to answer — you get instant feedback, the correct answer, and a detailed explanation for every question.
Zonal Councils in India are established under which of the following?
- A States Reorganisation Act, 1956
- B Article 263 of the Constitution
- C Parliamentary Resolution
- D Presidential Order
Correct answer: States Reorganisation Act, 1956
Zonal Councils are statutory bodies, not constitutional bodies. They were established by the States Reorganisation Act of 1956 to promote inter-state cooperation and coordination.
Who is the common Chairman of all the Zonal Councils in India?
- A The Union Home Minister
- B The Prime Minister
- C The President of India
- D The Vice-President of India
Correct answer: The Union Home Minister
The Union Home Minister acts as the Chairman of each of the five Zonal Councils. This ensures a link between the Central government and the regional interests of the states.
How many Zonal Councils were originally created by the States Reorganisation Act, 1956?
- A Five
- B Four
- C Six
- D Eight
Correct answer: Five
The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 divided the country into five zones: Northern, Central, Eastern, Western, and Southern. The North-Eastern Council was created later through a separate act.
Who serves as the Vice-Chairman of a Zonal Council?
- A The Union Home Minister
- B A Governor of a member state
- C The Chief Minister of a member state
- D The Chief Secretary of a member state
Correct answer: The Chief Minister of a member state
The Chief Ministers of the states included in the zone act as Vice-Chairman by rotation. Each Chief Minister holds the office for a period of one year at a time.
The North-Eastern Council was established under which specific legislation?
- A States Reorganisation Act, 1956
- B North-Eastern Council Act, 1971
- C 6th Schedule of the Constitution
- D North-East Frontier Act, 1947
Correct answer: North-Eastern Council Act, 1971
Unlike the other five Zonal Councils, the North-Eastern Council was created by a separate Act of Parliament called the North-Eastern Council Act of 1971. It addresses the unique problems of the seven sisters and Sikkim.
Which of the following is NOT a member of a Zonal Council?
- A Chief Ministers of the zone's states
- B Two other ministers from each state
- C The Governor of each state in the zone
- D Union Territory Administrators of the zone
Correct answer: The Governor of each state in the zone
The membership includes the Union Home Minister, Chief Ministers, and two other ministers from each state. Governors are not members of the Zonal Councils.
In which city is the headquarters of the Northern Zonal Council located?
- A Chandigarh
- B New Delhi
- C Jaipur
- D Shimla
Correct answer: New Delhi
The Northern Zonal Council, which includes states like Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, is headquartered in New Delhi. It provides a platform for discussing issues like river water sharing and border security.
The Central Zonal Council includes which of the following states?
- A Bihar and West Bengal
- B Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh
- C Maharashtra and Gujarat
- D Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh
Correct answer: Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh
The Central Zonal Council comprises Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. Its headquarters is located in Prayagraj (Allahabad).
Which state was added as the eighth member of the North-Eastern Council in 2002?
- A Sikkim
- B Assam
- C Tripura
- D Manipur
Correct answer: Sikkim
Initially, the North-Eastern Council included the seven North-Eastern states. Sikkim was added as the eighth member through the North-Eastern Council (Amendment) Act, 2002.
Zonal Councils are intended to function as:
- A Decision-making bodies with binding powers
- B Advisory bodies for regional cooperation
- C Judicial bodies for inter-state disputes
- D Administrative wings of the Home Ministry
Correct answer: Advisory bodies for regional cooperation
The Zonal Councils are advisory bodies. They make recommendations to the Union and State governments regarding matters of common interest in the field of economic and social planning.
Which body provides the secretariat for the Zonal Councils?
- A NITI Aayog
- B Inter-State Council Secretariat
- C Department of Personnel and Training
- D Prime Minister's Office
Correct answer: Inter-State Council Secretariat
The Inter-State Council Secretariat (ISCS) currently looks after the work of the Zonal Councils. This helps in maintaining administrative continuity and coordination between different federal bodies.
The Western Zonal Council is headquartered in which city?
- A Ahmedabad
- B Mumbai
- C Panaji
- D Gandhinagar
Correct answer: Mumbai
The Western Zonal Council includes the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Its headquarters is in Mumbai.
The Southern Zonal Council headquarters is located in:
- A Bengaluru
- B Hyderabad
- C Chennai
- D Kochi
Correct answer: Chennai
Chennai serves as the headquarters for the Southern Zonal Council. This council includes Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Puducherry.
The Eastern Zonal Council is headquartered in which city?
- A Patna
- B Bhubaneswar
- C Kolkata
- D Ranchi
Correct answer: Kolkata
Kolkata is the headquarters of the Eastern Zonal Council. This zone comprises Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha.
How do Zonal Councils differ from the Inter-State Council?
- A Zonal Councils are statutory; Inter-State Council is constitutional.
- B Zonal Councils are constitutional; Inter-State Council is statutory.
- C Both are constitutional bodies.
- D Both are statutory bodies.
Correct answer: Zonal Councils are statutory; Inter-State Council is constitutional.
Zonal Councils were created by an Act of Parliament (Statutory). The Inter-State Council is established under Article 263 of the Indian Constitution (Constitutional).
Which of the following Union Territories is part of the Northern Zonal Council?
- A Ladakh
- B Union Territory of Chandigarh
- C Delhi
- D All of the above
Correct answer: All of the above
The Northern Zonal Council includes the states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir (UT), Punjab, Rajasthan, NCT of Delhi (UT), Ladakh (UT), and Chandigarh (UT).