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Uttarakhand to Repeal and Replace British-Era Irrigation Law

The Uttarakhand government plans to repeal and replace a British-era irrigation law, according to a report, though the specifics of the new legislation have not yet been detailed.

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Current Summary

The Uttarakhand cabinet, meeting at the NHPC complex in Banbasa, Champawat district, decided to repeal the 153-year-old British-era Northern India Canal and Drainage Act, 1873, and replace it with a new Uttarakhand Irrigation and Drainage Bill, 2026, tailored to the state's geography, to be tabled in the assembly. This was the first time a Uttarakhand state cabinet meeting was held in Champawat, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's own assembly constituency; Dhami said future cabinet meetings would rotate to different locations to bring governance closer to local issues. The same meeting approved amendments to the policy governing private universities, requiring a minimum built-up area of 2,500 square metres in hilly areas and 20,000 square metres in plains, with separate evaluation criteria to ensure quality in future proposals. Citing a shortage of senior residents, junior residents and demonstrators in government medical colleges, the cabinet also approved a revision of their payable salaries and honorariums.

What We Know

The Uttarakhand government intends to repeal and replace a British-era irrigation law, per a Deccan Herald report.
The law being repealed is the Northern India Canal and Drainage Act, 1873.
Its replacement, the Uttarakhand Irrigation and Drainage Bill, 2026, will be tabled in the state assembly.
The cabinet meeting was held in Champawat district, Dhami's home constituency, the first ever held outside Dehradun in that district.
The cabinet also revised norms for setting up private universities and revised medical college resident doctor pay structures amid staff shortages.

What Is Still Unclear

Which specific colonial-era irrigation law is being repealed.
The provisions of the proposed replacement law.
A timeline for introduction or implementation.
Whether the move requires cabinet approval, assembly passage, or both.

What Changed

4 Oct, 04:21 pm
The law being repealed is now confirmed as the 153-year-old Northern India Canal and Drainage Act, 1873, to be replaced by the Uttarakhand Irrigation and Drainage Bill, 2026, which will be tabled in the state assembly. The decision was taken at the same cabinet meeting held at the NHPC complex in Banbasa, Champawat district — the first state cabinet meeting ever held in Champawat, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's home constituency. The same meeting approved amendments to private university establishment norms, setting minimum built-up area requirements of 2,500 square metres in hilly regions and 20,000 square metres in plains, along with separate evaluation criteria for new private university proposals, and approved a revision of salaries and honorariums for senior residents, junior residents and demonstrators in government medical colleges citing staff shortages.
4 Oct, 04:01 pm
Signal detected: Uttarakhand to Repeal and Replace British-Era Irrigation Law