In a significant move on Sunday, the Pushkar Singh Dhami government in Uttarakhand has decided to grant minority status to educational institutions of recognised religious minorities along with Muslims.
The Dhami cabinet has decided to table a Bill as to this effect in the monsoon session of the state assembly, starting August 19 in Gairsain and repeal the madarsa education board law.
The cabinet has decided to introduce Uttarakhand Minority Educational Institutions Bill 2025 in the assembly to grant minority status to other communities to regulate their education according to the standards set by state education board.
Although the proposed Act’s contents have not been made public, government officials informed under condition of anonymity that it would make way for studying Gurmukhi and Pali languages in recognised minority educational institutions of the state.
Apart from tabling the Minority Education Institutions Bill in the upcoming assembly session, the cabinet has decided to repeal the Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board Act 2016 and the Uttarakhand Non Government Arabic and Persian Madrasa Recognition Rules 2019 from July 1, 2026.
Notably, so far, only Muslim community’s educational institutions were having minority status officially. The proposed law will provide the same opportunities to the Sikh, Jain, Christian, Buddhist, and Zoroastrian or Parsi communities as well.
“This will be the first such law to be passed by any state in the country. It will lead to a transparent system of granting minority status to educational institutions of the identified minority communities in the state and ensure quality in education,” informed a senior IAS official in the state secretariat.
According to the cabinet decision, the proposed Act will mandate the state government to set up Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority (SMEA) for granting minority status to the educational institutions. Educational institutions opened by the Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, and Zoroastrians or Parsi communities will have to obtain formal recognition from SMEA.
The Act will not interfere in the creation and functioning of minority educational institutions but will ensure maintenance of quality education. Besides, minority educational institutions will also have to be registered under the Societies Act, Trust Act or Companies Act. They will be required to own land and have bank accounts in their names.
The proposed Act ratified by the cabinet allows the state government to quash recognition of the minority institutions if found guilty of financial mismanagement, lack of transparency or involved in activities against maintenance of religious and social harmony.
SMEA will have the right to monitor and evaluate the kind of education imparted in minority institutions. It will also ensure that education in these institutions is in tune with the standards set by Uttarakhand Education Board with complete fairness and transparent evaluation of students.