By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 18 Jun: A meeting of the Uttarakhand Cabinet was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at the Secretariat here today. The cabinet took a series of important decisions covering employee welfare, animal husbandry, infrastructure, tourism, education, healthcare and prison administration, with the most significant decision relating to the implementation of the principle of equal pay for equal work for personnel engaged through the Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam Limited (UPNL).
The decision of the cabinet to expand the benefit of equal pay for equal work to more UPNL employees comes importantly in compliance with the order of the Uttarakhand High Court dated April 20, 2026. Consequently, the cabinet today approved a proposal to revise the eligibility cut-off date for extending the benefit of equal pay for equal work to UPNL personnel. The earlier cut-off date of November 12, 2018, has now been replaced with October 15, 2024, in accordance with the directions issued by the Supreme Court. The decision is expected to benefit a significantly larger number of UPNL employees as compared to earlier decision and address a long-standing demand relating to pay parity.
and DG Information, Banshidhar Tiwari
addresses the media regarding Cabinet
decisions on Thursday.
In a significant decision, the cabinet also approved amendments to the state’s three-year excise policy for 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28 by incorporating cess into the VAT calculation framework under the provisions of the VAT Act, 2005. It also approved the deletion of a hologram fee entry to remove duplication arising in the policy notification.
In another significant decision benefiting animal owners associated with the Char Dham Yatra, the cabinet today approved a proposal that the government bear 20 per cent of the insurance premium for horses and mules operating on the Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Hemkund Sahib pilgrimage routes. The remaining 80 per cent of the premium will be paid by the animal owners. The scheme is expected to cover approximately 15,000 registered horses and mules during the 2026 pilgrimage season. Based on an insured value of Rs 70,000 per animal and a five per cent insurance rate, the total premium liability is estimated at Rs 525 lakhs, of which the state government will bear Rs 105 lakhs.
The cabinet also approved a pilot project aimed at improving the breed of bovine animals through embryo transplantation technology. The project has been proposed by the Animal Husbandry Department to facilitate the rapid production of high genetic-quality cattle and boost milk production in the state.
The cabinet further decided to provide a one-time opportunity to candidates claiming reservation under the 10 per cent horizontal quota granted to identified Uttarakhand statehood movement activists and their dependants. Candidates who submitted the required reservation certificates after the last date of application in three recruitment examinations conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC), including Junior Assistant and other posts, Constable Civil Police and Constable PAC/IRB recruitment examinations, and Additional Private Secretary, Personal Assistant, Stenographer and other posts recruitment examinations, will now be allowed to produce the certificates during document verification.
Considering the sharp rise in bitumen prices following increased global crude oil prices due to the conflict in the Middle East, the cabinet today approved the issue of guidelines for price adjustment in bitumen-related works under contracts awarded before April 1, 2026. The adjustment will be applicable only to bitumen works where contractual validity remains and work is still pending. The relief will cover the period from May 1 to June 30, 2026.
To strengthen export quality assurance and support the state’s natural products sector, the cabinet approved the creation of five specialist posts for the establishment of a Project Management Unit (PMU) for operating the state-of-the-art Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) Machine at the Centre for Aromatic Plants (CAP) in Selaqui, Dehradun. The facility will be used to detect adulteration in aromatic oils and related products and help establish the authenticity of natural products for domestic and international markets. The newly approved positions include one Project Scientist-III, one Senior Project Associate, one Project Associate-II and two Technical Assistants.
In a move aimed at promoting Uttarakhand as an international tourism destination, the cabinet approved the selection of an experienced agency through a single-source mechanism for organising the International Himalayan Car Rally. The event is expected to attract more than 120 entries, including 25 international participants, 25 Asia Cross Country Rally participants, 20 classic car rally entries and 50 competitors from the Indian National Rally Championship.
The cabinet further approved the promulgation of the Uttarakhand Prison (Amendment) Rules, 2026, in compliance with a Supreme Court order issued on October 3, 2024. The amendments relate to the definition and treatment of habitual offenders under prison regulations. It also approved the promulgation of the Uttarakhand Prison Superintendent Subordinate (Gazetted) Service Rules, 2026. The rules will govern the appointment and promotion process for 14 sanctioned prison superintendent posts in the state, replacing arrangements inherited from Uttar Pradesh following the formation of Uttarakhand.
Approval was also granted for the promulgation of the Uttarakhand Sanskrit Education (Amendment) Regulations, 2026. The amendments have been introduced to strengthen the implementation of the Uttarakhand Sanskrit Education Act, 2014, and the Sanskrit Education Regulations, 2023, governing recognition of Sanskrit schools, curriculum development and examination systems.
In a major educational milestone, the cabinet approved a proposal to declare Uttarakhand a Fully Literate State in accordance with literacy standards prescribed under the National Education Policy, 2020.
The cabinet also decided that the Health Department of the state government would provide financial assistance for clearing pending dues of the hospitals under the State Government Health Scheme, commonly known as the Golden Card scheme.
The cabinet further approved support for a long-pending proposal concerning the Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project and expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for facilitating consensus among the concerned states, thereby helping advance the project after years of delay.
