Dehradun, Oct. 5 -- The Uttarakhand cabinet chaired by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday approved an increase in the stipend of senior and junior resident doctors working in state-run medical colleges to address the shortage of resident doctors in government medical institutions. "We have increased the stipend of senior and junior resident doctors. The stipend, which was around Rs.75,000, has now been increased to more than Rs.1 lakh," said CM Dhami while addressing the mediapersons after the cabinet meeting. The cabinet also approved granting landholder rights to leaseholders and occupants of Class III and Class IV land. The decision includes transferable land rights for leaseholders and occupants in Lalkuan Nagar Panchayat in Nainital district and regularisation of Class IV land in the Jaunpur-Rawain area of Dehradun district. The regularisation period will be extended by one year on the basis of the 2004 circle rate, after which the prevailing circle rate will apply. The cabinet approved the Chief Minister Higher Education Skill Enhancement Scheme, 2026, which will benefit around 119,000 students studying in government and private universities and affiliated colleges. The scheme will entail an expenditure of around Rs.200 crore over five years. It also approved amendments to the policy for setting up private universities. Under the amended provisions, a minimum built-up area of 2,500 square metres will be required in hilly areas and 20,000 square metres in the plains. Separate evaluation criteria will also be prescribed for proposals to ensure quality, officials said. The cabinet approved the release of Rs.66.2916 crore in residual funds to the Uttarakhand Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCUL) for transferred assets related to the expansion of the Greenfield Airport at Pantnagar. The funds will be used for construction and other specified works as per SIDCUL's action plan. It also approved the Uttarakhand Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Under the amendments, the annual fiscal deficit limit has been fixed at 3% of GSDP for 2026-27 to 2030-31, while the maximum cumulative debt limit has been fixed at 30% of GSDP. Provisions allowing higher deficits during emergencies and disasters will continue as per rules. The cabinet approved a six-post project management unit in the office of the nodal officer, Forest Conservation, for technical scrutiny and online monitoring of forest land transfer cases. It also approved PAN verification in property sale and purchase transactions to prevent the use of incorrect or fake PANs and improve transparency in data reported to the Income Tax Department. It approved changes in the Forest Department's departmental-head arrangements, removing the Director of Nandadevi Biosphere Reserve from the list and designating the chief conservators of forests, Kumaon and Garhwal, as departmental heads. The cabinet approved placing the Sixth State Finance Commission report before the upcoming Assembly during the upcoming session. It also approved implementation of Section 19(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, under which a district magistrate, in specified circumstances and after giving 14 days' notice to the state government, can appoint another person as an assistant public prosecutor for a particular case. The cabinet approved amendments to the Government Servants' Conduct Rules, prosecution-related rules and Group 'C' recruitment procedures. The changes include updating provisions on employees' movable and immovable property and valuable assets, aligning prosecution provisions with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and removing the District Youth Welfare and Provincial Guard Officer post from the relevant recruitment schedules. It also approved restructuring of the prosecution establishment, under which 11 posts will be surrendered and six new posts created. The cabinet approved an amendment providing that 92% of income generated from disinvestment or monetisation of assets of commercial enterprises under the Uttarakhand Investment and Infrastructure (Development and Regulation) Act will be given to the concerned enterprises. It approved placing the Uttarakhand Irrigation and Water Drainage Bill, 2026 before the Assembly after repealing the Northern India Canal and Drainage Act, 1873. Other decisions included shifting the poultry feed subsidy scheme to direct benefit transfer through Aadhaar-seeded or linked bank accounts, creating a director general post for coordination among the animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries departments, and establishing a sub-registrar's office at Narendra Nagar in Tehri district covering 133 revenue villages....