Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair the 25th meeting of the Central Zonal Council in Varanasi on Tuesday. The council brings together the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh to discuss issues of regional cooperation, security and development. Senior officials and chief ministers from the four states are expected to attend. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who arrived in Varanasi on Monday, said the gathering underscores the centre-state collaboration fostered under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. Government agencies say the zonal councils, originally advisory bodies, have in recent years become a forum for resolving inter-state disputes and coordinating infrastructure projects. The Varanasi session is likely to review progress on previous decisions and outline fresh targets for law-and-order coordination and economic development across the central region.