Free Coaching Income Limit Raised to Rs 8 Lakh in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand's cabinet has raised the annual family income limit for free coaching for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 8 lakh. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday, held at the state secretariat in Dehradun.

The meeting, which started at 3:55 pm, approved about 26 proposals in total. The session is ahead of the state assembly sitting in Gairsain, beginning October 27.

Among the major decisions, the cabinet approved a supplementary budget worth roughly Rs 7,412 crore. It will be presented during the upcoming monsoon session in Gairsain.

Beyond education support, the government announced a 5-mark concession for persons with disabilities in Uttarakhand Board examinations. An Ashram Paddhati Girls Residential School in Udham Singh Nagar district will be upgraded to a high school.

The cabinet also approved reorganisation of the DIET structure, the UREDA framework and the Directorate of Departmental Accounts, along with service rules for Group C and D employees of the Pollution Control Board.

Road and bridge construction will now be sanctioned through a single approval process rather than separate ones. A one-time settlement scheme was approved for stamp-related cases.

On legal and social matters, the cabinet approved correcting the tribal list entry from 'Jannasari' to 'Jaunsari', fixing a clerical error in the Uniform Civil Code provisions, and enacting the Uttarakhand Law Amendment Bill, 2026.

The government also cleared land allotment to the Annamrit Foundation for central kitchens under the PM Poshan scheme in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar. The formation of the Uttarakhand Adventure Tourism Corporation Limited was approved to boost adventure tourism.

The Human Rights Commission's annual report for 2019-22 will be placed before the assembly. Two new private universities, Aarogyam University and BMS University, were approved in Haridwar.

Award-winning sportspersons will receive free travel in Uttarakhand Roadways buses, and a chief sports coach will be posted in every district. The cabinet also approved the Chief Minister Ekal Nari Samman Yojana for destitute women.