Inter-State Council:
The Inter-State Council(ISC) has been reconstituted with the Prime Minister as Chairman and Chief Ministers of all States and six Union Ministers as members.
- Ten union ministers will be the permanent invitees to the Inter-State Council.
- The government has also reconstituted the standing committee of the Inter-State Council with Union Home as Chairman.
- The Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are also members of the standing committee of the Inter-State Council.
Inter-State Council:
- As part of the process of reviewing the working of the existing arrangements between the Union and the States, the Government constituted a commission in 1988 under the Chairmanship of Justice R.S. Sarkaria.
- One of the important recommendations of Sarkaria Commission was for establishing a permanent Inter-State Council as an independent national forum for consultation with a mandate well defined in accordance with Article 263 of the Constitution of India.
- The inter-state council is a recommendatory body that has been empowered to investigate and discuss subjects of common interest between the Union and state(s), or among states.
- It also makes recommendations for better coordination of policy and action on these subjects, and deliberations on matters of general interest to the states, which may be referred to it by its chairman.
- It also deliberates on other matters of general interest to the states as may be referred by the chairman to the council.
- The Council may meet at least thrice in a year.
- There is also a Standing Committee of the Council.
- Composition:
- Prime Minister Chairman
- Chief Ministers of all States Members
- Chief Ministers of Union Territories having a Legislative Assembly and Administrators of UTs not having a Legislative Assembly and Governors of States under President’s Rule (Governor’s Rule in the case of J&K) Members.
- Six Ministers of Cabinet rank in the Union Council of Ministers to be nominated by the Prime Minister Members.
