By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 13 Aug: The Uttarakhand Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, held a meeting at the Secretariat here today even as the Model Code of Conduct remained in force for the Zila Panchayat President elections. Of the 26 proposals placed before the Cabinet, more than half were approved at the meeting. No briefing was held as the Monsoon session of the state assembly stands convened from 19 August in Bhararisain (Gairsain).
Among the most important decision taken today included approval of a proposal to extend 10 per cent horizontal reservation in government jobs to candidates who have completed service under the Agniveer scheme, along with age relaxation benefits. The Cabinet also approved a proposal to allocate five per cent of all work in the State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand (SIDCUL) to Uttarakhand residents, thereby benefiting candidates from industrial establishments originally belonging to the state.
In a significant move to curb unlawful religious conversions, several amendments to the state’s anti-conversion law were approved, introducing provisions akin to the Gangster Act and stipulating imprisonment of up to 14 years for those convicted.
The Cabinet also decided to constitute a committee under the Chief Secretary to examine issues faced by contract and outsourced employees in various government departments and to recommend solutions to the Chief Minister for a final decision. The cabinet also approved waiver of state GST on a project linked to the realignment of the National Highway leading to the airport under construction in Pantnagar.
Approval was also granted to the annual report of the Forestation Fund Management and Authority to be placed in the coming assembly session. It further approved a proposal to reorganise the Uttarakhand Project Development and Construction Corporation (UPDCC) by creating 95 new posts to be filled on deputation basis from the Irrigation Department. The Uttarakhand Cooperative Institutional Service Board has also been constituted in the Cooperation Department to handle recruitments in the cooperative banking sector through IBPS.
A new post of Vice-President was created for the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee, which until now had no such position. Now a Lal Batti appointment can be expected soon on this newly created post. The cabinet also approved a proposal to align the land acquisition rates in villages of Dehradun district for the Lakhwar Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project with those in Tehri district. The Cabinet also cleared the presentation of the 2021-22 annual financial report of Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited in the Assembly.
Further approvals included placing the 2023-24 annual financial statements of the Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission before the legislature under Section 104(4) of the Electricity Act, 2003, and the 2023-24 annual report of Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited under Section 395(b) of the Companies Act, 2013.
The Cabinet passed the Uttarakhand Animal Husbandry Department Statistical Service Rules 2025, the Uttarakhand Finance Service (Amendment) Rules 2025, and rules of the Information Technology Department. It also approved the Information Technology, Good Governance, Science and Technology, and Innovation (STI) Policy 2025. Amendments to the integrated procedure for allotment, cancellation, transfer, and rent of sheds and plots in government industrial institutions were sanctioned.
The Uttarakhand Higher Judicial Service (Amendment) Rules 2025 were also approved by the cabinet along with approval for tabling the 2023-24 annual report of the Uttarakhand Real Estate Regulatory Authority in the Assembly. Amendments to the Provincial Development Service Rules 2011 under the Rural Development Department were further cleared, and the Uttarakhand Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill 2025 was approved for reintroduction in the Assembly.
