Dehradun: UPNL employees in Uttarakhand who have served continuously for 10 years will receive equal pay for equal work. The cabinet approved its phased implementation on Thursday. In the first phase, approximately 8,000 employees who have served continuously for 10 years from the formation of the state until 2015 will benefit. A total of more than 21,000 UPNL employees will benefit from this. The benefits of the Home Stay scheme will now be available only to permanent residents of Uttarakhand. The cabinet also approved bringing an ordinance to amend the Uniform Civil Code.
Nineteen proposals were approved in the cabinet meeting held on Thursday evening under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. The decisions taken in the cabinet were informed by the Chief Minister’s Secretary, Shailesh Bagoli. He said that the cabinet considered the order given by the High Court on November 12, 2018, in the public interest litigation of Kundan Singh vs. State of Uttarakhand and others. A cabinet sub-committee was formed in this regard, and its meeting was held on December 8, 2025. The cabinet considered the recommendations of the sub-committee.
It was decided that employees working through UPNL will be given the benefit of equal pay for equal work after 10 years of continuous service. In the first phase, approximately 8,000 employees from the formation of the state until 2015 will benefit. After this, employees from 2016 and then 2018 will receive this benefit in a phased manner. It was also decided that now employees through UPNL will only serve in tasks related to the rehabilitation of ex-servicemen. Director General of Information, Banshidhar Tiwari, was also present at the briefing.
Agreement on the Ordinance to Amend the Uniform Civil Code
The cabinet has agreed to bring the Uniform Civil Code Uttarakhand (Amendment) Ordinance 2025. These amendments will be made based on the recommendations of the committee constituted for this purpose and to address the practical difficulties and clerical errors in the implementation of the provisions of the original code. Under this, those whose marriages took place before January 2025 will now be given one year instead of six months for registration. The Registrar General will now be of Additional Secretary level instead of Secretary level. Those who do not complete the work on time will have to pay a penalty instead of a fine, for which a verbal correction will be made.
Home stays can only be built by local residents
The Cabinet has approved the Uttarakhand Tourism, Travel Business, Home Stay and Bed and Breakfast Registration Rules 2026. Under this, only permanent residents of the state will now be able to avail the benefits of the home stay scheme. People from other states will not be able to build home stays here. People from other states can work under the Central Government’s Bed and Breakfast scheme.
CM to decide on budget session
The Cabinet has approved the budget session of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly. The Cabinet has authorized the Chief Minister to decide on its date and location. It is yet to be decided whether the budget session will be held in Dehradun or in the summer capital Gairsain.
Approval for the creation of 144 posts for 16 special courts
In accordance with the recommendations of the high-level committee constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court, under the order passed in the Supreme Court petition Satendra Kumar Antil vs. CBI, 16 special courts will be set up in the state for the disposal of cases related to the NDPS Act, POCSO Act, NI Act, and PMLA Act. In the first phase, the Cabinet has approved the creation of 144 posts in seven ADJ and nine ACJM level special courts in Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts.
Other important decisions
– Approval of government guarantee of Rs 270.28 crore for the state’s Doiwala, Kichha, Nadehi and Bajpur sugar mills for the crushing season 2025-26. The mills will be able to take loans.
– The decision on the State Advised Price (SAP) of sugarcane in the state has been finalized at Rs 405 per quintal for early varieties and Rs 395 per quintal for general varieties. Previously, the CM had taken the decision through a deviation from the norm.
– Approval of the service rules for the private secretary cadre of the Uttarakhand Election Department.
– Approval to rename the Uttarakhand Sanskrit Academy Haridwar as Uttarakhand Sanskrit Sansthanam.
– Approval for the creation of 12 posts for UCOST’s Almora and Champawat regional science centers.
– Approval to place PITKUL’s annual report for 2024-25 on the table of the Legislative Assembly.
– Approval to place the audited annual accounts of the Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation for the financial years 2021-22 and 2022-23 on the table of the Legislative Assembly.
– Under the Horticulture Mission scheme, along with 50 percent assistance from the central government for the anti-hail net scheme, the state government will now provide an additional 25 percent assistance. This will protect apple, peach, plum, apricot, and pear crops from hailstorms.
– Approval for the creation of six posts (one Professor, one Associate Professor, two Assistant Professors, two non-teaching staff) at the Hindu Studies Center located in Doon University.
– Approval for the amendment in the notification issued on March 7 related to the Industrial Development (Mining) Department, replacing the word “Nandhour” with “Nandhour and other rivers” in the revised sales rate applicable to Gaula, Kosi, Dabka, and Nandhour.
– Under the Sports Mahakumbh, the state government will provide a trophy and Rs. 1 lakh for MLA-level sports, a trophy and Rs. 2 lakh for MP-level sports, and a trophy and Rs. 5 lakh for the Chief Minister’s Championship at the state level.
– In the state, the Uttarakhand State Infrastructure Development Corporation (BRIDKUL) will now be the implementing agency for the construction of ropeways, automated and mechanized car parking, tunnels, and cavity parking.
