Cabinet authorises Dhami to decide time & venue of VS session PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Haridwar In a major decision, the Uttarakhand government has decided to exempt the retired Agniveers from appearing in the written examination and physical test for appointment in the 10 per cent seats reserved for them in the direct recruitment of the uniformed positions of Group ‘C’ in the State services. The Agniveers will also be exempted from the upper age limit in the recruitment examination in these posts. A decision in this regard was taken in the meeting of the State cabinet held here on Monday. Informing about the decision, the director general (Information) Banshidhar Tiwari told the media that the State government previously had decided to give 10 per cent horizontal reservation for retired Agniveers and given them relaxation in the maximum age limit and physical efficiency test. The government decision means that the recruitment of Agniveers in the 10 per cent of the Group C uniformed of police, Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), forest guards and jail warden will be done directly as per the provisions of the central government rules. The decision is expected to benefit hundreds of youngsters of the State who retired this year after serving four years in the Army as Agniveers. The cabinet also decided to introduce the Uttarakhand Fire and Emergency Services Bill, 2026 in the Vidhan Sabha. The bill aims to make the fire and emergency services more effective in the State. It proposes to revise the prevalent Fire and Emergency Services Act and introduce a new law, keeping in mind the challenges of future industrial development, urbanization, disasters and potential fire accidents. In another important decision, the cabinet decided to amend Uttarakhand Investment and Infrastructure (Development and Regulation) Act, 2023. It provides for 92 per cent of the proceeds from disinvestment and monetization of assets of public agencies, local bodies, public sector undertakings and autonomous institutions to be distributed to the respective public agencies. Dhami cabinet also approved Uttarakhand Floodplain Zoning Rules, 2026 to regulate land use and development activities in floodplains in the State. Tiwari said that the objective of the new regulation is to protect lives, property and vital infrastructure from potential flood damage while maintaining the natural flow of floodwaters. Regarding the upcoming session of Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha, the cabinet authorised CM Dhami to decide the date and venue of the session. In its meeting, the cabinet also gave in -principle approval for the formation of a society for the development of Shri Madan Mohan Malaviya Prachya Shodh Sansthan located at Rishikul in Haridwar. The institute is planned to be developed as a centre Yoga and Meditation, Ayurveda Studies and Research and centre of astrology and oriental studies. Cabinet ministers Ganesh Joshi, Dhan Singh Rawat, Subodh Uniyal, Sourabh Bahuguna, Khajan Das, Bharat Singh Chaudhary, Madan Kaushik, Pradeep Batra and Ram Singh Kaida participated in the meeting.
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