DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand cabinet, meeting at Banbasa in Champawat district on Sunday, October 4, approved 24 proposals, including a ₹200 crore scheme to build the skills of students in higher education.
The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who said cabinet meetings will now be held in different districts rather than only in Dehradun, Indian Masterminds reported. APAC News Network reported that the meeting was held at the NHPC guest house in Banbasa; it gave the date as October 7, while Social News XYZ and Indian Masterminds reported it on October 4.
It was the first cabinet meeting held in Banbasa, which lies in Dhami's home constituency, Ghanamma reported, and the government said the decisions were aimed at "accelerating infrastructure development and easing public services in border and hill areas."
The cabinet approved the Mukhyamantri Uchcha Shiksha Kaushal Samvardhan Yojana 2026, with ₹200 crore over five years, or about ₹40 crore a year. It is meant to improve the employability and entrepreneurship of about 1.19 lakh students in government and private universities and their affiliated colleges, APAC reported.
The cabinet granted bhumidhari, or ownership, rights to eligible holders of Class 3 and Class 4 leases and to occupants, including in the Lalkuan Nagar Panchayat in Nainital district. Indian Masterminds reported that the regularisation also covers Jaunsar-Bawar in Dehradun district and will use 2004 circle rates for one year before current rates apply. A process for regularising nazul land in Khatima, Banbasa and Champawat was also approved, Social News XYZ reported.
An amendment bill to the Uttarakhand Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act caps the annual fiscal deficit at 3 per cent of gross state domestic product from 2026 to 2031 and total debt at 30 per cent, with relaxation allowed for disasters and security emergencies, APAC reported. A new Uttarakhand Irrigation and Water Drainage Bill 2026 will replace the Northern India Canal and Drainage Act of 1873.
Social News XYZ reported a special package of ₹66 crore for the Tarai Development Corporation; APAC reported that ₹66.29 crore was released to the Uttarakhand Seeds and Tarai Development Corporation for construction linked to the expansion of Pantnagar airport, and Ghanamma named the recipients as SIDCUL and the Tarai Development Corporation.
Government employees in Groups A and C must now declare their property every year, and Group B employees every five years, Social News XYZ reported. Employees must also report property dealings with people who do business with the government. Interviews will no longer be held for some Group C posts, including deputy jailor, where recruitment already includes physical and written tests, Indian Masterminds reported. Assistant Public Prosecutors can now be appointed under Section 19(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
