Ahmedabad, Jun 11: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday emphasised on early investigation of rape and sexual offences against women and children and stringent punishment in a time bound manner.

Shah said that additional Director General of Police level officers, if possible, women officers should be entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring the investigation of all such cases in the Police Headquarters of each state.

Shah presided over the 25th meeting of the Western Zonal Council in Diu. The meeting was attended by the Chief Ministers of Goa, Gujarat and the administrators of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu senior ministers of Gujarat and Maharashtra, Union Home Secretaries, Chief Secretaries of the member states of the Western Region, Secretaries, Central and State Ministries including the Inter-State Council Secretariat and senior officers of the departments.

This is the first time that the meeting of the Western Zonal Council has been organised in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

The Union Home Minister said that the Zonal Councils take an integrated approach through discussion and exchange of views between the States on important issues of social and economic development.

A total of 36 issues were discussed in the 25th meeting and the 12th meeting of the Standing Committee in Panaji on January 28, 2022. Out of these, six subjects have been identified as nationally important subjects and these are being discussed and monitored regularly in the meetings of various Zonal Councils.

These are — Improvement of banking services in rural areas, Monitoring of cases of rape and sexual offences against women and children, Implementation of fast track courts for such cases, Verification of identity of marine fishermen at sea, Large scale in seas Development of local contingency plans by coastal states for rescue operations, and, promotion of Make in India through preference in public procurement.

Out of the 30 topics discussed in the 25th Western Regional Council, 27 have been resolved and only three are left for further discussion. It shows the resolve and commitment of the Modi government towards the all-round development of the nation in the spirit of cooperative federalism.