NEW DELHI: Reiterating the “collective commitment” of the Narendra Modi government to eliminating terrorism from its root, home minister Amit Shah on Monday said culprits of the Nov 10 car bomb blast in Delhi shall be traced from the depths of the netherworld, produced before the judicial system and handed the strictest possible punishment.Addressing the 32nd meeting of the northern zonal council (NZC) in Faridabad, Haryana — attended by chief ministers, Lieutenant Governors and administrators of several northern states — Shah said the zonal councils, which are sub-groups of the Inter-State Council that meet from time to time to resolve inter-state and Centre-state issues, have played an important role in realising Prime Minister Modi’s vision of strong nation made up of strong states. These zonal councils, he underlined, are extremely important for dialogue, cooperation, coordination, and ‘policy synergy’.During the meeting, Shah, along with the chief ministers of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Rajasthan and Delhi; LGs of J&K, Delhi and Ladakh; and the administrator of Chandigarh, observed two minutes’ silence as a tribute to the victims of the Delhi car bomb blast and the recent explosion at Nowgam police station in J&K. Emphasising the continued need for all-out efforts to ensure speedy justice in crimes against women and children and also eradicate malnutrition and stunting, Shah called for speedy investigation in cases of sexual offences and rape under the POCSO Act, besides seeking an increase in the number of fast-track special courts.Referring to the implementation of the three new criminal laws, the home minister said that their enforcement has yielded very positive results. He requested all the state/UT governments to employ technology to boost investigation and forensic analysis and achieve online linking of courts.The home minister said that while the original spirit and role of zonal councils is advisory, they have been accepted over the past decade as action-oriented platforms that have delivered results.Shah said that, as compared to 2004–2014, the number of zonal council meetings has risen two-and-a-half times from 25 in 2014 to 64 in 2025. He said this jump reflects “PM Modi’s concept of TEAM Bharat”. He credited the states, UTs, central ministries and departments and the Inter-State Council for having discussed 1,600 issues and resolving 1,303 issues (81.43%) thus far.Among the issues of national importance taken up by the northern zonal council on Monday are urban master planning, power supply system, strengthening of primary agricultural credit societies (PACSs), eliminating malnutrition in children, reducing school dropout rates, and participation of public hospitals in the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
