Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 28 Jan: A meeting of the Uttarakhand Cabinet was held at the Secretariat here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and lasted about an hour and half. Eight key proposals were cleared by the cabinet today, including the approval of the Green Hydrogen Policy and strategic airstrip leases.
According to the decision, Chinyalisaur and Gauchar airstrips would be leased to the Ministry of Defence. Before the formal commencement of the meeting, the Cabinet expressed deep grief over the demise of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in an aircraft accident and observed a two-minute silence to pay homage to the departed souls who lost their lives in the crash. Director General, Information, and Additional Secretary Banshidhar Tiwari briefed the media about the cabinet decisions following the meeting.
Among the significant decisions taken today, the Cabinet approved the Medical Health and Family Welfare Department Health Worker and Health Supervisor Service Rules, 2026. Under the new provisions, the health workers who have completed a minimum of five years of satisfactory service in their original cadre will be permitted a one-time district change during their entire service tenure on the basis of mutual consent.
In another important decision concerning the Revenue Department, the Cabinet approved a procedure for procuring land from landowners for small, medium and large-scale projects through mutual agreements in Uttarakhand. This move is aimed at promoting direct land purchase and avoiding delays associated with the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. The government claims that the new mutually agreed process is likely to reduce litigation and bring down the overall cost of projects undertaken in public interest.
In addition, the Cabinet also approved an amendment to Government Order No. 670 dated 25 March 2025 related to the transfer of 1354.14 acres of land at Prag Farm in Udham Singh Nagar to SIIDCUL for the development of an industrial estate. As per a Clause of the earlier order, the lessee was not authorised to sell, lease or transfer the land and was required to complete land use within three years, failing which the allotment would stand cancelled automatically. The Cabinet has now decided that the lessee will be permitted to sub-lease the allotted land solely for the same purpose, subject to the consent of the Revenue Department through the Industrial Development Department.
To strengthen the implementation of welfare schemes in districts with sizeable ST population, the Cabinet approved the promulgation of the Uttarakhand Tribal Welfare Gazetted Officer Service (Amendment) Rules, 2025. This decision follows the creation of four posts of District Tribal Welfare Officers in Dehradun, Chamoli, Udham Singh Nagar and Pithoragarh through a government order issued on 28 February 2025. It has been claimed by the government that this move would ensure that these posts are duly incorporated within the service framework.
The Cabinet further approved the implementation of water rates and charges for the extraction of groundwater for non-agricultural purposes, excluding agriculture-related works and government drinking water schemes, with immediate effect. In order to promote industrial growth while regulating groundwater development and preventing indiscriminate extraction, charges have been approved for industrial units and commercial establishments including residential apartments, group housing societies, hotels, water amusement parks, vehicle washing centres and swimming pools across safe, semi-critical, critical and over-exploited zones. A registration fee of Rs 5,000 has been fixed for commercial, industrial, infrastructural and residential apartment categories for ground water exploitation.
With the objective of developing Uttarakhand as an education hub, the Cabinet approved the establishment of GRD Uttarakhand University in Dehradun. The proposed university aims to introduce innovation in education, adopt modern teaching and learning methodologies, promote holistic personality development, extend educational opportunities to socially and economically weaker sections, encourage state-specific research and generate employment-oriented resources.
In a strategically important decision, the Cabinet granted approval to the proposal for the transfer of the Chinyalisaur airstrip in Uttarkashi district and the Gauchar airstrip in Chamoli district to the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. This decision follows high-level consultations between the Indian Air Force, the Ministry of Defence and the Uttarakhand Government in respect of the airstrips at Gauchar and Chinyalisaur. The airstrips will be transferred on a lease basis and developed as Advanced Landing Grounds for joint civilian and military operations.
In yet another important decision, the Cabinet approved the promulgation of the Uttarakhand Green Hydrogen Policy, 2026 with the aim of promoting green hydrogen production in the state. Keeping in view the National Green Hydrogen Policy, 2022 and the National Green Hydrogen Mission, 2023, the state government has reiterated its commitment to encouraging clean energy sources in the face of global warming challenges. Given Uttarakhand’s abundant natural resources, particularly hydropower, the state intends to harness these for green hydrogen production, which can contribute towards achieving net-zero targets, boost development and employment opportunities and strengthen Uttarakhand’s role in meeting national and global climate goals.
