Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami advances rail project and expands equal‑pay benefits

The Uttarakhand cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, approved a series of measures including extending the equal‑pay for equal work benefit to more employees of the Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam Limited (UPNL). The eligibility cut‑off date was moved from November 12 2018 to October 15 2024, complying with recent high‑court and Supreme Court orders. Additional decisions covered a revision of the state excise policy, a scheme where the government will subsidise 20 % of insurance premiums for about 15,000 horses and mules used on Char Dham pilgrimage routes, a pilot project for bovine embryo transplantation, a one‑time reservation concession for identified statehood‑movement activists, and temporary bitumen price adjustments for contracts affected by rising global crude prices.

In a separate meeting, Dhami met Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar to press for the timely completion of the Rishikesh‑Karnaprayag rail line, deeming it vital for pilgrim safety and tourism to the Char Dham shrines. He also discussed the Tanakpur‑Bageshwar survey, urged progress on the Karnaprayag‑Bageshwar and Kichha‑Khatima lines, called for station upgrades at key gateways, and highlighted the need to double the Haridwar‑Dehradun section. Dhami stressed that modernising the rail network will boost investment, trade, tourism and employment in the state.