Shah urges collective effort for states’ development at Eastern Zonal Council Meet

UNION Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the Centre was committed to advancing the development of states with renewed focus and direction, calling for collective efforts to achieve this goal, officials said.

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Shah made the remark at the 27th Eastern Zonal Council meeting, attended by representatives from the four eastern states — Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal —including Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his Odisha counterpart Mohan Charan Majhi.

Soren raised 31 issues concerning the state, including Rs 1.36 lakh-crore in dues from central coal PSUs, and called for improved infrastructure and job creation through MSMEs, officials said. Jharkhand also raised the issue of a separate Sarna religious code for tribals. Shah who arrived in the state capital on Wednesday night left for Delhi in a special chartered plane after the meeting.