Flow many Zonal Councils were set up vide Part-Ill of the States Reorganisation Act, 1936 ?

The Zonal Councils are statutory bodies established under Part III of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 [1]. Section 15 of the Act specifically provided for the creation of five Zonal Councils to cover the entire country: the Northern, Central, Eastern, Western, and Southern Zonal Councils [7]. These councils were designed as advisory forums to foster inter-state cooperation and resolve disputes related to linguistic minorities, border issues, and economic planning [2]. While there is a sixth council, the North-Eastern Council, it was not established by the 1956 Act; rather, it was created later by a separate piece of legislation known as the North-Eastern Council Act of 1971 [3]. Therefore, under the original Part III of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, exactly five Zonal Councils were set up [7].

Sources

1. [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 16: Inter-State Relations > ZONAL COUNCILS > p. 170
2. [4] https://www.mha.gov.in/en/page/zonal-council
3. [7] https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2138871
4. [2] Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 27: INTER-STATE RELATIONS > I. Inter-State Comity > p. 407
5. [3] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 16: Inter-State Relations > ZONAL COUNCILS > p. 171