The Uttarakhand Cabinet decided to repeal the colonial-era canal law and bring a new irrigation Bill. The move came alongside reforms in private university norms and medical college pay as the government held its first cabinet meeting in Champawat.
The Uttarakhand Cabinet on Sunday decided to repeal the 153-year-old British-era Northern India Canal and Drainage Act, 1873, and replace it with a new state law suited to Uttarakhand’s geographical conditions, officials said.
The cabinet also approved changes to the policy and standards for setting up private universities and cleared a revision in salaries and honorariums for senior residents, junior residents and demonstrators in government medical colleges.
The decisions were taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at the NHPC complex in Banbasa in Champawat district.
Officials said the cabinet decided to table the Uttarakhand Irrigation and Drainage Bill, 2026, in the Assembly. This was the first time a state cabinet meeting was held in Champawat, the chief minister’s Assembly constituency.
According to a statement, the cabinet approved amendments to the policy and standards governing the establishment of private universities.
Under the revised framework, a minimum built-up area of 2,500 square metres in hilly regions and 20,000 square metres in plain areas will be required.
It was also decided to work out separate evaluation criteria to ensure quality in proposals for setting up private universities.
In view of the shortage of senior residents, junior residents and demonstrators in government medical colleges, the cabinet approved a revision of their payable salaries and honorariums.
Dhami said cabinet meetings would no longer be confined to Dehradun and would be held in different places to directly place local issues, development prospects and regional priorities before the government.
He said the practice would bridge the gap between the administration and the public.
Dhami also said border areas are not merely the state’s geographical boundaries but are vital links for the nation’s security, culture and development.