StatesUttarakhand
Uttarakhand cabinet eases recruitment rules for former Agniveers, clears flood zoning
Meeting on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar, Pushkar Singh Dhami's cabinet also cleared a new fire services bill and a second Jan Vishwas bill for the Assembly.
Key points
- New rules give former Agniveers relaxation in the written exam and physical standards test for uniformed Group C posts.
- The cabinet approved flood plain zoning rules to control building and land use in flood-prone areas.
- Bills on fire and emergency services and on decriminalising minor offences will go to the Assembly.
Uttarakhand’s cabinet on Monday approved new recruitment rules for former Agniveers that relax the written examination and physical standards test for uniformed Group C posts in state services.
The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, was held at the Mela Niyantran auditorium on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar.
Agniveers and flood zones
The Horizontal Reservation Rules, 2026, replace the rules issued in 2025, which gave discharged Agniveers 10% horizontal reservation, a relaxation in the upper age limit and an exemption from the physical efficiency test. The new rules add relief in both the written exam and the physical standards test, and were drafted in line with new central government guidelines.
The cabinet also approved the Uttarakhand Flood Plain Zoning Rules, 2026, framed under a 2012 law. They set the procedures and standards for regulating construction and land use in flood-prone areas, with the aim of keeping natural flood channels clear and protecting lives, property and infrastructure.
Bills for the Assembly
Two bills were cleared for introduction in the Assembly. The Uttarakhand Fire and Emergency Services Bill, 2026, modelled on the Centre’s Model Fire Service Bill of 2019, will replace the state’s existing fire law. The Second Uttarakhand Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, proposes to take minor offences out of the criminal law and deal with small technical or procedural lapses through civil penalties.
The Chief Minister was authorised to fix the date and venue of the next Assembly session. The cabinet also approved a Chief Minister State Child Bravery Award for children who show exceptional courage, and cut the minimum access road width for an affordable housing project in Siswana village, Haridwar district, from 9 metres to 6 metres.