Dehradun, Aug. 18 -- The Uttarakhand Minority Educational Institutions Bill, 2025 was approved by the state cabinet on Sunday for tabling in the upcoming monsoon assembly session scheduled to be held on Tuesday at the summer capital in Gairsain of Chamoli district. The bill seeks to extend minority status to non-Muslim educational institutions in the state. So far, minority status for educational institutions has been limited to the Muslim community. Sikh, Jain, Christian, Buddhist and Parsi communities will also be eligible to establish and run institutions with minority recognition under the proposed law that the cabinet, chaired by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, cleared. Officials said the legislation is designed to create a transparent and modern process for granting such status while ensuring quality benchmarks in education in the state. The Bill provides for the creation of Uttarakhand State Minority Education Authority, which will serve as the nodal body to process applications and grant recognition. The authority will also be responsible for monitoring institutions to ensure compliance with the standards prescribed by the Uttarakhand Board of School Education and for maintaining fairness in student assessment. "Once enacted, Uttarakhand will become the first state in the country to bring in a law that not only grants minority status but also lays down clear provisions to ensure academic excellence, accountability and protection of the constitutional rights of minority communities," a senior state government official said on condition of anonymity....