Assembly Session in Gairsain confirmed
By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 17 Aug: A cabinet meeting was held at the Secretariat here, today, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. No formal media briefing was held after the cabinet meeting as the assembly session has already been convened. The cabinet today cleared five key proposals, including legislative bills and policy regarding Uniform Civil Code (UCC) registration and regarding the minority education institutions. These approvals have been secured in advance to facilitate their formal introduction and legal enactment during the session scheduled to begin on 19 August. In a significant development, the Cabinet today decided that there would be no change in the venue of the upcoming assembly session due to begin on 19 August in Gairsain.
Among the five proposals discussed, the most significant one pertained to the introduction of the Uttarakhand Minority Educational Institutions Act, 2025. Until now, the designation of minority educational institutions was extended mainly to the Muslim community. The proposed legislation seeks to broaden this scope to include other recognised minority groups such as Sikhs, Jains, Christians, Buddhists, and Parsis. This pioneering initiative aims to establish a transparent and accountable framework for granting recognition to educational institutions founded by minority communities, while simultaneously ensuring educational quality and institutional excellence.
The Act envisages the formation of the Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority, which will be responsible for conferring minority status upon eligible institutions. Once this law is enacted, it will become mandatory for any educational institution established by the aforementioned communities to obtain recognition from this authority to qualify as a minority institution. While the Act safeguards the autonomy of such institutions in their establishment and operation, it also mandates adherence to standards that uphold educational integrity.
As per the proposal approved by the Cabinet, in order to be eligible for recognition, institutions must be registered under the Societies Act, Trust Act, or Companies Act, with all assets including land and bank accounts held in the institution’s name. It is also provided that recognition may be revoked in cases of financial irregularities, lack of transparency, or activities detrimental to religious and social harmony. The cabinet also decided that the authority will also oversee compliance with the standards prescribed by the Uttarakhand School Education Board and ensure fair and transparent student evaluation.
The government claims that the enactment of this legislation will usher in a transparent recognition process for minority run educational institutions, reinforcing, both, the quality of education and the constitutional rights of minority communities. It will also empower the state government to monitor institutional functioning and issue directives as required.
In another decision, the cabinet approved a proposal for extension of the deadline for exemption from marriage registration fees by six months. Although this decision had been taken earlier, formal cabinet approval was granted during the meeting.
Further, the cabinet resolved to establish a Minority Education Welfare Board, modelled on the existing Madrasa Board, which regulates Muslim community schools. This new board will serve as a regulatory body for schools run by other minority communities, including Sikhs and Jains, ensuring parity in institutional oversight and welfare mechanisms.
It may be recalled that amid heavy rainfall and a weather alert issued by the Meteorological Department for several districts, it was being speculated in a certain section of the media that the government might change the venue of the Monsoon Session of the State Assembly from Gairsain. However, today the cabinet has confirmed that the assembly session will be held as has been originally scheduled. Speculation that the venue might be shifted to Dehradun due to adverse weather conditions was today dismissed by the cabinet.
