Inter-State Council – Notes GK

Inter-State Council is a constitutional body created for Inquiring and advising of a dispute that has arisen between the States. It also discuss and investigates the common interests of states or UTs.

The Inter-State Council is a constitutional body constituted under Article 263 of the Constitution. This body was formed on the recommendation of the Sarkaria Commission by a presidential proclamation on 28 May 1990.

The Inter-State Council is a non-permanent government body. The Inter-State Council is constituted for the purpose of defining, resolving and discussing the areas of common interests and differences between the states.

Structure of Inter-State Council:

  1. Prime Minister.
  2. Chief Ministers of all the States.
  3. Chief Ministers of Union Territories with Legislative Assemblies.
  4. Administrators from all the Union Territories where there is no assembly.
  5. Governors of the states where the Presidential rule is in force, including 6 Union Cabinet Ministers, Home Ministers.

The Standing Committee is composed of:

  1. Minister of Home Affairs.
  2. 5 cabinet ministers.
  3. Chief Ministers of 9 states.

Important Points to Remember: Inter-State Council

01. The Inter-State Council has met 12 times so far.

02. The first session was chaired by Prime Minister V.P. Singh (October 10, 1990).

03. The last time, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi became the President of the Inter-State Council on the 25th of November 2017.

List of Meetings of Inter-State Council

  1. 10 October 1990 – Vishwanath Pratap Singh
  2. 15 October 1996 – H. D. Deve Gowda
  3. 17 July 1997 – I. K. Gujral
  4. 28 November 1997 – I. K. Gujral
  5. 22 January 1999 – Atal Bihari Vajpayee
  6. 20 May 2000 – Atal Bihari Vajpayee
  7. 16 November 2001 – Atal Bihari Vajpayee
  8. 27–28 March 2003 – Atal Bihari Vajpayee
  9. 28 June 2005 – Manmohan Singh
  10. 12 December 2006 – Manmohan Singh
  11. 16 July 2016 – Narendra Modi
  12. 25 November 2017 – Narendra Modi

Notes + PDF: Parliament of India – Notes GK
Notes + PDF: Attorney General of India – Notes


Inter-State Council General Knowledge for Govt job competitive exams like UPSC, IAS, SSC, CGL, etc. The FAQs are most important.