Dehradun, June 18 (PTI) The Uttarakhand Cabinet on Thursday approved several proposals, including a decision to cover 20 per cent of the insurance premium for equines (horses, mules, and donkeys) owners used during the Char Dham Yatra.
The cabinet also approved a proposal to declare Uttarakhand a fully literate state.
The decisions were taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Director General of Information BD Tiwari said the state government will provide relief to equine owners operating on the Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Hemkund Sahib pilgrimage routes by paying 20 per cent of the insurance premium. The remaining 80 per cent will be borne by the owners.
The scheme will cover an estimated 15,000 registered horses and mules for the 2026 pilgrimage season. Based on an estimated value of Rs 70,000 per animal and an insurance rate of five per cent, the total premium is calculated at Rs 525 lakh. The state government will undertake a financial burden of Rs 105 lakh as its share.
The cabinet also approved a proposal to declare Uttarakhand a fully literate state, based on literacy standards aligned with the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP). Uttarakhand’s current literacy rate has surpassed 98 per cent under NEP.
To boost tourism, the cabinet approved selecting an agency through a single-source process to organise the proposed International Himalayan Car Rally. The goal is to attract over 120 entries, including 25 international participants, 25 from the Asia Cross Country Rally, 20 from the Classic Car Rally, and 50 participants from the Indian National Rally Championship.
Given the sharp rise in petroleum prices in India triggered by the West Asia crisis, the cabinet approved price adjustments for bitumen works. This modification applies to contracts signed before April 1 this year that are still valid and have outstanding bitumen work, covering the period from May 1 to June 30.
The cabinet also expressed its gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for facilitating a consensus among the stakeholder states on the long-pending Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project.
Earlier, at the start of the meeting, the cabinet expressed grief and paid tribute to former chief minister Major General Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri and renowned shooter Jaspal Rana, who recently passed away. PTI DPT AKY ASD ASD
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