Panaji, Sept. 7 -- Union Home Minister and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Monday chaired the 28th meeting of the Western Zonal Council in Panaji, Goa, with the participation of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Praful K Patel.
Addressing the meeting, Shah said the Western Region has a critical role in India's economic growth and is the country's largest economic, industrial and financial centre, which recorded a growth rate of 7.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2026-27 despite volatility in the global economy.
Describing the region as the "'WEST Engine of Growth' in India", Shah said W stands for wealth and finance, E for exports and ports, S for start-ups and semiconductors, and T for tourism and blue economy. He highlighted Goa as a tourism destination, Maharashtra as a start-up hub and Gujarat as a centre for ports and semiconductor manufacturing.
Shah said Zonal Councils had emerged as vibrant platforms for cooperative federalism by facilitating coordination and monitoring of welfare schemes. He said 71 meetings of Zonal Councils and their Standing Committees were held during the last decade, compared with 25 between 2004 and 2014.
The Home Minister called for strengthening coastal security and stepping up efforts against narcotics, cybercrime and other emerging threats. He also stressed the need to accelerate implementation of the new criminal laws and integrate cooperative banks with systems such as the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and MuleHunter AI.
The meeting deliberated on several issues, including Fast Track Special Courts, ERSS-112, food safety, Ayushman Bharat, railway projects, environment clearances, electricity supply, urban planning, computerisation of PACS and Poshan Abhiyaan.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.