Jharkhand DGP likely to attend Eastern Zonal Council meet chaired by Amit Shah

Mail News Service

Ranchi, July 3: Jharkhand Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Gupta is among the officials proposed to attend the Eastern Zonal Council meeting to be chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on July 10. The meeting will bring together top officials and Chief Ministers from Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal to deliberate on crucial regional matters such as law and order, interstate coordination and disaster management.

Although the list of Jharkhand government officials set to attend the meeting is prepared, it has not yet been officially forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Sources in the Home Department revealed that the list is ready and will be submitted soon. “If the Centre raises any objection to the inclusion of DGP Anurag Gupta, an alternative arrangement will be made. IG CID will be kept ready as a backup,” a senior official said.

Apart from the DGP, the list of attendees includes Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Avinash Kumar, Secretary of the Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Department, Principal Secretary of the Home, Prison and Disaster Management Department and Secretaries of Urban Development, Commercial Tax, Women and Child Development & Social Security, Building Construction and School Education & Literacy Departments.

The meeting was originally scheduled for May 10 but was postponed due to heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. At that time too, DGP Anurag Gupta’s name had been included in the proposed list, but no confirmation came from the Centre due to the delay.

A senior Home Department official stated, “We are awaiting final confirmation from the Union Home Ministry. Once the list is approved, the state officials will proceed accordingly.”

The Eastern Zonal Council, formed to facilitate cooperation between states on shared issues, is expected to focus on law enforcement coordination, disaster response and social development initiatives during this session. The participation of senior-most officials reflects the importance of inter-state dialogue and central-state synergy in ensuring better governance and security. (w/nkm)