Uttarakhand Politics & Governance

IGNFA graduates 111 forest officer trainees in Dehradun

1 August 2026

The Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA) held its graduation ceremony in Dehradun for 111 trainees: 109 Indian Forest Service probationers of the 2024 batch and two trainees from Bhutan. They completed a 20-month programme, and 75 earned honours diplomas; Pratiksha Nanasaheb Kale of the Rajasthan cadre topped the batch.

Key Facts

• IGNFA trains professional foresters to manage India’s forest and wildlife resources sustainably.

ED provisionally attaches assets in UKSSSC paper-leak investigation

1 August 2026

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth about ₹63.30 lakh in connection with the 2021 UKSSSC graduate-level recruitment paper-leak case. The agency alleged that the assets were acquired with proceeds from the leak and said its investigation was continuing.

Key Facts

• UKSSSC conducts examinations and recruits candidates for Uttarakhand subordinate services.
• The ED enforces PMLA and FEMA; the reported provisional attachment was made under PMLA.

Uttarakhand proposes three years of service before postgraduate study for MBBS graduates

1 August 2026

Uttarakhand’s Health Department sent the government a proposal requiring MBBS graduates from state-run medical colleges who join the department to complete three years of service before seeking permission for postgraduate study. The proposal was intended to address doctor shortages, including in hill areas, but Cabinet approval was pending.

Key Facts

• MBBS is an undergraduate medical qualification; postgraduate study provides further professional education after that degree.

Traditional India–Tibet trade resumes through Lipulekh Pass

1 August 2026

Traditional India–Tibet border trade resumed through Lipulekh Pass in Pithoragarh district after being suspended since 2019. The first group, comprising 16 traders and four helpers, crossed into Tibet and began trading in Taklakot after completing formalities, using goods already available there; permission for subsequent groups and new goods remained subject to clearance.

Key Facts

• Lipulekh has a longstanding role in Indo-Tibetan trade, including trade by Kumaon’s Bhotiya communities.

Uttarakhand reports progress and funding needs for disaster-damaged drinking-water schemes

2 August 2026

Uttarakhand officials reported that 1,775 of the 3,453 drinking-water schemes damaged in the 2025 disasters had been repaired using ₹34.07 crore. Repairs to the remaining schemes were temporary, pending funds for permanent restoration.

The estimated cost of repairing all 3,453 schemes was ₹123.28 crore. A meeting on funding was scheduled for 10 August.

Thirty-four proposed cooperative bank branches await RBI approval

3 August 2026

Uttarakhand’s Cooperation Department approved 34 proposals for new district cooperative bank branches and sent them to the Reserve Bank of India for approval. The proposed branches are intended to extend banking services in rural and remote areas; they were not yet operational.

The department received 41 proposals, of which seven were reported incomplete. The state had 315 operating district cooperative bank branches, according to the minister cited in the report.

Key Facts

• The RBI is India’s central bank and regulator of the banking and financial system.

Digital library opens in Sarkot model village

3 August 2026

A digital library opened at the Mahila Milan Kendra in Sarkot, a Chief Minister’s Model Village in Gairsain block. The facility has four computers, and organisers said it could help children access learning resources and connect with educators from IIT Kanpur and IIT Delhi.

Key Facts

• The library is intended to connect village children with educators from IIT Kanpur and IIT Delhi.

Digital ultrasound service starts at Srinagar Garhwal Base Hospital

3 August 2026

H.N.B. Government Base Hospital in Srinagar Garhwal began regular operation of a digital ultrasound machine on 3 August, with radiologist Dr Vinita Arya appointed to provide the service. The facility can examine pregnancies and organs including the liver, kidneys and thyroid, bringing diagnostic services closer to patients from remote hill areas.

Key Facts

• Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves rather than radiation, supporting non-ionising diagnostic imaging.

Grant supports planned potato-processing unit in Gairsain

4 August 2026

A potato-processing unit is planned in Gairsain, Chamoli district, with an estimated investment of ₹50 lakh. The project has received a ₹25 lakh grant from the SBI Foundation, with resources from Bhuvneshwari Mahila Ashram; once operational, it is intended to make and market products such as chips, wafers and fries and involve local farmers through cooperative operation.

Key Facts

• SBI Foundation ...