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 legislation tailored to the state’s geographical conditions, marking a major overhaul of the legal framework governing irrigation and drainage.
The decision to table the Uttarakhand Irrigation and Drainage Bill, 2026, in the Assembly was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at the NHPC complex in Banbasa in Champawat district. It was the first time a state Cabinet meeting was held in Champawat, which is Dhami’s Assembly constituency.
153-year-old law to go
The proposed legislation will replace a law dating back to the colonial era and seek to provide a framework more suited to Uttarakhand’s distinctive terrain and irrigation requirements. The state’s mountainous geography presents challenges significantly different from those for which the 1873 legislation was originally framed.
The Northern India Canal and Drainage Act has governed several aspects of canal irrigation and drainage administration for more than a century and a half. The new Bill will now be placed before the Assembly for consideration.
The Cabinet’s decision is part of the state government’s effort to update older legal and administrative frameworks to address contemporary requirements and local conditions.
Private university norms revised
In another significant decision, the Cabinet approved amendments to the policy and standards governing the establishment of private universities in Uttarakhand.
Under the revised framework, private universities proposed in hilly regions will require a minimum built-up area of 2,500 square metres, while those proposed in the plains will need at least 20,000 square metres.
The government will also formulate separate evaluation criteria for scrutinising proposals to establish private universities. The move is intended to ensure that institutions seeking permission to operate in the state meet prescribed quality standards while taking into account the sharply different geographical conditions in the hills and plains.
Medical college salaries revised
The Cabinet also addressed the shortage of senior residents, junior residents and demonstrators in government medical colleges by approving a revision in their salaries and honorariums.
The decision is aimed at making positions in state-run medical colleges more attractive and addressing staffing gaps that can affect medical education as well as healthcare services. The government expects the revised compensation structure to help institutions recruit and retain qualified personnel.
The shortage of resident doctors and teaching personnel has been a concern for government medical colleges, particularly in a hill state where attracting professionals to institutions outside major urban centres can be challenging.
Cabinet meetings beyond Dehradun
Dhami said Cabinet meetings would no longer remain confined to Dehradun and would instead be organised at different locations across Uttarakhand.
He said taking the Cabinet to different parts of the state would allow local issues, regional priorities and development opportunities to be presented more directly before the government. The initiative, he added, was intended to narrow the distance between the administration and citizens.
The Champawat meeting marked the beginning of that approach, with the government signalling that future meetings could similarly be taken to other regions.
Focus on border regions
Dhami also underlined the importance of Uttarakhand’s border areas, saying they should not be viewed merely as the state’s geographical boundaries. He described them as important links in the country’s security, culture and development.
Uttarakhand shares international borders with China and Nepal, while several of its remote settlements face challenges related to connectivity, infrastructure, livelihoods and migration. The state government has been seeking greater development activity in such areas to strengthen local economies and retain population in border villages.
During the Cabinet meeting, Dhami and other ministers were presented with a traditional “farra” or “chhantoli”, a wicker shield associated with the folk traditions of Champawat.
The shield is used during the famous Bagwal festival at Devidhura and is traditionally crafted from strips of bamboo or ringal, a variety of hill bamboo, in an umbrella-like shape. The presentation highlighted the local cultural identity of Champawat as the district hosted a state Cabinet meeting for the first time.