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Q70 (IAS/2024) Polity & Governance › Constitutional & Statutory Bodies › North Eastern Council Official Key

The North Eastern Council (NEC) was established by the North Eastern Council Act, 1971. Subsequent to the amendment of NEC Act in 2002, the Council comprises which of the following members ? 1. Governor of the Constituent State 2. Chief Minister of the Constituent State 3. Three Members to be nominated by the President of India 4. The Home Minister of India Select the correct answer using the code given below :

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

The correct answer is option A (1, 2 and 3 only).

The membership of the NEC is comprised of Governors and Chief Ministers of the constituent states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.[1] The North-Eastern Council (Amendment) Act, 2002 added Sikkim as the eighth member-State of the Council, envisaged functioning of the Council as a regional planning body for the north-eastern area and provisioned for three members and Chairman of the Council to be nominated by the President.[2]

Therefore, statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct - the NEC includes Governors of constituent states, Chief Ministers of constituent states, and three members nominated by the President of India. Statement 4 is incorrect as the Home Minister of India is not mentioned as a member in the provided sources. The 2002 amendment specifically brought about these compositional changes including the provision for Presidential nominees and the inclusion of Sikkim as the eighth member state.

Sources
  1. [1] https://prsindia.org/billtrack/the-north-eastern-council-amendment-bill-2013
  2. [2] https://prsindia.org/files/bills_acts/bills_parliament/2013/SCR-North-Eastern_Council.pdf
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. The North Eastern Council (NEC) was established by the North Eastern Council Act, 1971. Subsequent to the amendment of NEC Act in 2002, t…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 7.5/10
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This is a 'Hidden Syllabus' question. While standard books (Laxmikanth) cover Zonal Councils in depth, they often summarize the NEC as merely 'created by 1971 Act' without detailing the crucial 2002 Amendment. The trap lies in assuming NEC follows the exact same 'Home Minister + CMs' structure as Zonal Councils, ignoring the unique inclusion of Governors and Nominated Members.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Does the membership of the North Eastern Council (NEC), as per the North Eastern Council Act, 1971 (as amended in 2002), include the Governor of each constituent state?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The membership of the NEC is comprised of Governors and Chief Ministers of the constituent states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states who comprises the NEC membership, naming Governors and Chief Ministers.
  • Lists the constituent states (including Sikkim), tying the membership statement to the Council created/updated by the Act and its amendment.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The Governors and Chief Ministers of constituent States are members of the Council."
Why this source?
  • Directly affirms that Governors are members of the Council.
  • Notes the 2002 Amendment added Sikkim and refers to Governors and Chief Ministers as members after that amendment.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"The members of the NEC consists of the Governors and the Chief Ministers of the eight member States"
Why this source?
  • Gives the same clear formulation: NEC members consist of the Governors and Chief Ministers of the eight member States.
  • Confirms the membership composition in a regional/state government source.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 16: Inter-State Relations > ZONAL COUNCILS > p. 171
Strength: 5/5
“North-Eastern Council In addition to the above Zonal Councils, a North-Eastern Council was created by a separate Act of Parliament—the North-Eastern Council Act of 1971. <sup>8</sup> Its members include Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunchal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim. <sup>9</sup> Its functions are similar to those of the zonal councils, but with few additions. It has to formulate a unified and coordinated regional plan covering matters of common importance. • Name: 1. Northern Zonal Council; Members: Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh; Col3: Headquarters New Delhi • Name: 2. Central Zonal Council; Members: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh; Col3: Allahabad • Name: 3.”
Why relevant

Explicit listing of the NEC's members as the states (Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim) — wording names states rather than office-holders.

How to extend

A student could infer that 'members' being listed as states suggests institutional/state membership (not automatically the Governor), and check the Act for whether membership is by state or by named office-holder.

Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 16: Inter State Relations > ZONAL COUNCILS > p. 171
Strength: 4/5
“North-Eastern Council In addition to the above Zonal Councils, a North-Eastern Council was created by a separate Act of Parliament—the North-Eastern Council Act of 1971. <sup>8</sup> Its members include Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim. <sup>9</sup> Its functions are similar to those of the zonal councils, but with few additions. It has to formulate a unified and coordinated regional plan covering matters of common importance. | Name: 1. Northern Zonal Council; Members: Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh; Col3: Headquarters New Delhi | Name: 2. Central Zonal Council; Members: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh; Col3: Allahabad | Name: 3.”
Why relevant

Repeats that the North-Eastern Council was created by statute and lists member states, reinforcing the pattern of 'states' being the entities named as members.

How to extend

Combine this repetition with reading of statutory membership clauses (in the Act) to test whether membership is attached to the state or to specific state officers (e.g., Governor or Chief Minister).

Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 27: INTER-STATE RELATIONS > I. Inter-State Comity > p. 407
Strength: 4/5
“There is also provision for holding joint meetings of two or more Zonal Councils. The Union Home Minister has been nominated to be the common chairman of all the Zonal Councils. . . The Zonal Councils, as already stated, discuss matters of common concern to the States and Territories comprised in each Zone, such as, economic and social planning, border disputes, inter-state transport, matters arising out of the reorganisation of states and the like, and give advice to the Governments of the states concerned as well as the Government of India. Besides the Zonal Councils, there is a North-Eastern Council, set up under the North-Eastern Council Act, 1971, to deal with the common problems of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram.”
Why relevant

Notes that the Union Home Minister is nominated to be the common chairman of all the Zonal Councils — giving a pattern where central office-holders chair regional councils.

How to extend

A student could use this pattern to suspect NEC leadership is likely a central nominee (not necessarily Governors), and so check whether the Act names a central chair or state Governors as members.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 15: Centre-State Relations > 11. Extra-Constitutional Devices > p. 151
Strength: 3/5
“In addition to the above-mentioned constitutional devices, there are extra-constitutional devices to promote cooperation and coordination between the Centre and the states. These include a number of advisory bodies and conferences held at the Central level. The non-constitutional advisory bodies include the NITI Ayog (which succeeded the planning commission), the National Integration Council, the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare, the Central Council of Local Government, the Zonal Councils, the North-Eastern Council, the Central Council of Indian Medicine, the Central Council of Homoeopathy, the Transport Development Council, the University Grants Commission and so on. The important conferences held either annually or otherwise to facilitate Centre-state consultation on a wide range of matters are as follows: (i) The governors' conference (presided over by the President). (ii) The chief ministers' conference (presided over by the prime minister). (iii) The chief 151”
Why relevant

Classifies the NEC as a non-constitutional/advisory body similar to other councils — implying it follows the institutional patterns of such councils rather than being a forum for Governors specifically.

How to extend

Using the general pattern of advisory councils (often composed of central and state executives), a student could look up comparable councils' compositions to infer likely types of members to compare with the NEC Act.

Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 13: The State Executive > THE STATE EXECUTIVE > p. 274
Strength: 3/5
“Besides the above functions to be exercised by the Governor 'in his discretion', there are certain functions under the amended Constitution which are to be exercised by the Governor 'on his special responsibility'-which practically means the same thing as 'in his discretion', because though in cases of special responsibility, he is to consult his Council of Ministers, the final decision shall be 'in his individual judgment', which no court can question. (i) Under Article 371(2), as amended, the President may direct that the Governor of Maharashtra or Gujarat shall have a special responsibility for taking steps for the development of certain areas in the State, such as Vidarbha, Saurashtra. (ii) The Governor of Nagaland shall, under Article 371A(1)(b) (introduced in 1962), have similar responsibility with respect to law and order in that State so long as internal disturbances caused by the hostile Nagas in that State continue. (iii) Similarly, Article 371C(1), as inserted in 1971, empowers the President to direct that the Governor of Manipur shall have special responsibility to secure the proper functioning of the Committee of the Legislative Assembly of the State consisting of the members elected from the Hill Areas of that State. (iv) Article 371F(g), inserted by the Constitution (36th Amendment) Act, 1975, similarly, imposes a special responsibility upon the Governor of Sikkim "for peace and for an equitable arrangement for ensuring the social and economic advancement of different sections of the population of Sikkim". (v) Article 371H(a), inserted by the Constitution (55th Amendment) Act, 1986, similarly, imposes a special responsibility upon the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh "with respect to law and order in the State of Arunachal Pradesh and in the discharge of his functions in relation thereto, the Governor shall, after”
Why relevant

Describes special responsibilities assigned to Governors under various constitutional provisions for some North-Eastern states, showing Governors do have distinct statutory roles in the region.

How to extend

A student could weigh the existence of special statutory Governor roles against the NEC's statutory membership wording: Governors have region-specific duties elsewhere, but that does not by itself prove NEC membership includes Governors.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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