Bhararisain (Gairsain) Assembly session opens tomorrow with ~₹5,000-cr supplementary budget; CM announces Mana Pass–Auli 100-mile ultra run; Centre rushes RAF to Arunachal over Siang dam protests
Monday, 26 October 2026 · IST · Uttarakhand + National · 11 items · 2 MCQs
Uttarakhand's Assembly meets at the summer capital Bhararisain from 27 October, days after the cabinet notified the UCC (Amendment) Rules 2026 and raised the free-coaching income cap to ₹8 lakh. The CM announced a 100-mile Himalayan ultra run from Mana Pass to Auli for May 2027 to boost border tourism, while nationally Operation Trident, RBI's new ₹169-crore data centre, the Siang dam protests and Vigilance Awareness Week lead the news.
Today at a glance — things to remember
Bhararisain (Gairsain) Assembly session from 27 Oct; 426 questions from 31 MLAs.
Supplementary budget of about ₹5,000 crore (FY 2026-27) expected.
Uttarakhand polity — State Legislature (Art. 168–212), state budget (Art. 202–205), ordinances (Art. 213); Prelims: summer capital, Speaker, Assembly strength.
Context
The third session of the Fifth Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly in 2026 begins tomorrow (27 Oct, 11 AM) at Vidhan Sabha Bhawan, Bhararisain (Gairsain, Chamoli) after the Governor's approval. The government is expected to table a supplementary budget and convert recent ordinances into Bills.
Supplementary budget of about ₹5,000 crore for FY 2026-27 reported (₹5,315 crore in 2025-26).
Uttarakhand GST (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 (promulgated 3 Sept) to come as a Bill — aligns with CGST Act, 2017 changes.
State Human Rights Commission report (2019–22): 16,388 cases, 15,075 disposed — to be laid in the House.
Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan — Uttarakhand's first woman Speaker.
Way forward
Longer, regular sittings at Gairsain to give hill districts a stronger voice; time-bound replies to members' questions.
Concept
Art. 205 — supplementary grant when sanctioned money falls short; Art. 213 — Governor's ordinance must be laid before the House and lapses 6 weeks after it reassembles. Assembly: unicameral, 70 seats; Gairsain declared summer capital in 2020.
Flowchart of how a supplementary budget passes in the Uttarakhand Assembly: supplementary demands under Article 205, discussion and vote, supplementary appropriation bill, Governor's assent and withdrawal from the Consolidated Fund of the State. — StudyForGS
2. Cabinet Notifies UCC Amendment Rules 2026; SC/ST Free-Coaching Income Cap Raised to ₹8 Lakh
State schemes & welfare of vulnerable sections; UCC — Art. 44 (DPSP); education & sports policy. Prelims: scheme names, income limits.
Context
In its last meeting before the Gairsain session (22 Oct), the Dhami cabinet cleared 25 proposals, including revised rules for the Uniform Civil Code, which Uttarakhand began implementing on 27 Jan 2025 — the first state to do so after Independence.
Key facts
Civil Code (Amendment) Rules, Uttarakhand, 2026 to implement the UCC, Uttarakhand (Amendment) Act, 2026; they fix implementation hurdles and clerical errors.
Free coaching for SC/ST students: family income limit ₹2 lakh → ₹8 lakh.
Students with disabilities: 5% relaxation — pass at 28% in Uttarakhand Board exams.
One District, One Sport: 14 head coaches (13 districts + Directorate), 3-year contract, ₹1.45 lakh/month.
Maintenance grant renamed Mukhyamantri Ekal Nari Samman Yojana; new Uttarakhand Adventure Tourism Corporation Ltd.; OTS for ~3,600 stamp-duty cases.
Way forward
Village-level awareness camps on UCC registration; track whether higher coaching limits translate into selections.
Concept
Art. 44 (DPSP): State shall endeavour to secure a UCC. Goa follows the Portuguese Civil Code, 1867. Uttarakhand's UCC Act (2024) exempts Scheduled Tribes; 27 Jan is observed as UCC Diwas.
Pillar diagram of the 22 October Uttarakhand cabinet decisions grouped under UCC, education, sports, welfare and tourism with key numbers. — StudyForGS
3. Adi Kailash Run 2.0 Ends at Gunji; CM Announces 100-Mile Mana Pass–Auli Ultra Run for May 2027
At Gunji (Pithoragarh) on 25 Oct, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami awarded winners of the 70-km and 42-km races of the Adi Kailash Parikrama Run 2.0 (24–26 Oct, from Dharchula) and announced a new high-altitude ultra-marathon.
Key facts
100 Miles Himalayan Endurance Ultra Run — first week of May 2027, from Mana Pass (~5,600 m) via Badrinath–Joshimath to Auli (Chamoli).
Open to Indian and foreign runners; previous edition drew 700+ runners.
Support from Army, ITBP and SSB in the border belt.
Goals: adventure tourism, jobs for local youth, checking migration from border villages.
Linked to Vibrant Villages Programme — border villages as the "first villages", not the "last".
Way forward
Carrying-capacity limits, waste plans and medical evacuation protocols for high-altitude events; tie-ups with local homestays.
Concept
Adi Kailash (Chhota Kailash) & Om Parvat lie in the Vyas valley near Lipulekh Pass (Kailash-Mansarovar route). Mana Pass (Chamoli) — on the India–Tibet border, near the source of the Saraswati. VVP approved Feb 2023 for northern border villages.
Mind-map linking border tourism events in Uttarakhand to Vibrant Villages, migration control, livelihoods, security forces and ecological limits. — StudyForGS
4. CM Reviews Amritpur Bypass to Ease Tourist Jams on Kumaon Circuit
Uttarakhand economy — tourism, hill infrastructure, urban carrying capacity; Prelims: Kumaon/Garhwal divisions, religious sites.
Context
On 25 Oct, CM Dhami inspected the under-construction Amritpur Bypass (Nainital district), meant to relieve tourist-season and weekend jams across Kumaon, and ordered priority completion.
Key facts
Kainchi Dham recorded 45,000+ pilgrims in a single day during the 2–4 Oct long weekend (usual: 20,000–25,000).
Town-wise carrying-capacity studies, park-and-ride shuttles and online slot booking on the lines of the Char Dham registration model.
Concept
Kainchi Dham — ashram of Neem Karoli Baba, est. 1964 (fair on 15 June). Kumaon division: 6 districts; Garhwal division: 7 districts (total 13).
Schematic district map of Uttarakhand with Garhwal and Kumaon divisions shaded, marking today's news locations: Dehradun, Bhararisain, Mana Pass, Auli, Gunji, Kainchi Dham and Haldwani. — StudyForGS
5. 21st Uttarakhand State Science & Technology Congress Opens in Dehradun
Science & technology in Uttarakhand; state institutions (UCOST); STI policy. Prelims: organisers, venues.
Context
USSTC-2026, organised by the Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST), opened on 25 Oct at Science City, Dehradun; a science-communication session is held today (26 Oct).
Key facts
About 1,000 scientists, researchers and policymakers; 260+ papers in 13 technical divisions.
Brainstorming on STI Policy 2026 — "Developed India, Empowered Uttarakhand 2047".
UCOST DG Prof. Durgesh Pant introduced Vigyan Setu to link science with society.
Exhibition by 60+ institutes and start-ups; 2nd Science & Technology Premier League; chief guest S&T Minister Pradeep Batra.
Way forward
Channel research into mountain problems — landslide early warning, springshed revival, hill farming and disaster-resilient housing.
Concept
UCOST (est. 2005, Dehradun) is the state's nodal S&T body. STI = Science, Technology & Innovation; national policy anchor — Viksit Bharat @2047.
6. Recruitment Freeze Lifted in Aided Non-Government Secondary Schools
Education in Uttarakhand; RTE, NEP 2020; service delivery in hill schools.
Context
The state said on 25 Oct that management committees of aided non-government secondary schools may now fill vacant teaching and non-teaching posts, ending a long-standing freeze.
Key facts
Only sanctioned vacant posts formally revived/restored by the competent authority can be filled.
Teaching posts to be aligned with student enrolment.
Some management committees had approached the High Court; many schools ran with very few teachers.
Announced by School Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat; rules-based, transparent selection ordered.
Way forward
Rationalise pupil-teacher ratios across hill schools and use digital monitoring of appointments.
Concept
RTE Act 2009 PTR norm — 30:1 (primary), 35:1 (upper primary); NEP 2020 — PTR under 30:1 (25:1 in disadvantaged areas). Education moved to the Concurrent List by the 42nd Amendment (1976).
7. Operation Trident: NCB-led Strike on Drug–Hawala Network in the Northeast
The Union Home Ministry announced on 25 Oct the results of Operation Trident — simultaneous raids by the NCB with State police and the ED on an international drug cartel.
Key facts
Raids at 38 locations in Assam, Mizoram and Manipur; 18 arrests.
₹100 crore+ hawala trail; 1,424 bank accounts frozen; assets of ₹17.82 crore attached; 500 detonators and ₹12 lakh cash seized.
ED flagged a counter codenamed "Nuniang": 2,947 transfers worth ₹175.03 crore (2024–June 2026).
Home Minister Amit Shah set 31 Dec 2029 as target to wipe out drug networks.
Way forward
Secure the Myanmar border, tighten financial intelligence sharing and scale up de-addiction under Nasha Mukt Bharat.
Concept
Golden Triangle — Myanmar–Laos–Thailand; Golden Crescent — Afghanistan–Iran–Pakistan. NDPS Act, 1985; NCB set up in 1986; Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan launched 15 Aug 2020.
Stat tiles for Operation Trident: 38 locations raided, 18 arrests, 1,424 bank accounts frozen, over 100 crore rupees hawala trail, 17.82 crore rupees assets attached, 500 detonators seized. — StudyForGS
8. PM Opens RBI's ₹169-crore Data Centre & Cybersecurity Training Institute in Odisha
Banking, digital payments, cyber security; Prelims: RBI facts, CERT-In.
Context
On 25 Oct, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated RBI's data centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute at Info Valley-II, Jatni, near Bhubaneswar, saying the banking system must be shielded from cybercriminals.
Key facts
Cost ₹169 crore; campus 18.55 acres; foundation stone laid by Governor Shaktikanta Das on 22 March 2023.
Will host mission-critical payment and settlement systems; second such facility after Navi Mumbai.
Site chosen for low seismic risk and distance from high-risk border areas.
Present: FM Nirmala Sitharaman, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi.
Way forward
Geo-redundant disaster-recovery sites, zero-trust security and a trained cyber workforce down to co-operative banks.
Concept
CERT-In — national nodal agency for cyber incidents under Sec. 70B, IT Act 2000. RBI est. 1 April 1935 (RBI Act 1934), nationalised 1949.
9. Centre Rushes RAF to Arunachal as Siang Dam Protests Turn Violent
Hydropower & Himalayan ecology; displacement and R&R; India–China river issues. Prelims: rivers of the Brahmaputra system.
Context
After violence in Pasighat following a 12-hour bandh in Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts, the Centre sent two Rapid Action Force companies (~250 CRPF personnel) to Arunachal Pradesh on 25 Oct.
Local communities (mainly Adi) fear displacement, submergence and ecological damage.
Centre's rationale: buffer storage against China's mega-dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo.
RAF airlifted from Navi Mumbai on an IAF aircraft.
Way forward
Free, prior and informed consent, cumulative downstream impact studies and fair rehabilitation — lessons from Uttarakhand's Tehri and Pancheshwar debates.
Concept
Yarlung Tsangpo (Tibet) → enters India as Siang → joins Dibang & Lohit near Sadiya to form the Brahmaputra. Uttarakhand link: Tehri Dam (Bhagirathi, 260.5 m, India's tallest); Pancheshwar (Mahakali, Mahakali Treaty 1996).
Schematic river flow from the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet to the Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and the Brahmaputra in Assam, marking the proposed 11,200 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project. — StudyForGS
Anti-corruption bodies, probity in governance (Ethics paper); Prelims: CVC.
Context
The CVC-led week begins today, capping a three-month preventive vigilance campaign (17 Aug–16 Nov 2026) across ministries, public sector banks and PSUs.
Key facts
Theme: "Probity for Prosperity" (Satyanishtha se Samriddhi).
Held in the week of Sardar Patel's birth anniversary (31 Oct, Rashtriya Ekta Diwas).
Move from punitive to preventive vigilance with tech audits and stronger whistle-blower protection.
Concept
CVC set up Feb 1964 on the K. Santhanam Committee's advice; statutory under the CVC Act, 2003; CVC + up to 2 VCs, chosen by PM, Home Minister, LoP (Lok Sabha).
Data point of the day
56.89 lakh
Char Dham Yatra 2026 — record pilgrim season Footfall up to 7 Oct 2026 (state tourism data) crossed the 2023 record of 56.13 lakh. Shrine-wise: Badrinath 19.14 lakh, Kedarnath 16.79 lakh, Gangotri 9.10 lakh, Yamunotri 8.10 lakh. Portals close for winter in the Diwali week.
Prelims rapid-fire
India at Asian Para Games 2026 (Aichi–Nagoya, Japan): record 114 medals (30 G, 35 S, 49 B), 4th in table.
Mona Agarwal set a world record (357.5) in women's 50m rifle 3P SH1; Sumit Antil led a javelin podium sweep.
26 Oct 1947: Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession — 79th J&K Accession Day today.
Uttarakhand formed on 9 Nov 2000 as India's 27th state; Assembly is unicameral with 70 seats.
Om Parvat & Adi Kailash — Vyas valley, Pithoragarh; base village Gunji, near Lipulekh Pass.
Tehri Dam on the Bhagirathi — 260.5 m, India's tallest dam.
Practice MCQs — UKPSC Prelims pattern
Q1. Consider the following statements about Gairsain (Bhararisain):
1. It lies in Chamoli district.
2. It was declared the summer capital of Uttarakhand in 2020.
3. The Uttarakhand Legislature is bicameral.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1 only
1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: b Gairsain is in Chamoli and was declared summer capital in 2020; Uttarakhand has a unicameral legislature of 70 members.
Q2. Mana Pass, the starting point of the proposed 100-mile Himalayan ultra run (May 2027), lies on Uttarakhand's border with:
Nepal
Himachal Pradesh
Tibet (China)
Uttar Pradesh
Show answer
Answer: c Mana Pass in Chamoli district is on the India–Tibet (China) border, beyond Badrinath and Mana village.
Mains practice question
Q. Pilgrimage and adventure tourism are both a lifeline and a stressor for Uttarakhand's hill economy. Discuss with reference to border-area tourism and carrying capacity. (UKPSC Mains, 125 words)
Hint / approach
Intro: record Char Dham footfall, Kainchi Dham surge. Body: benefits — jobs, homestays, checking palayan, Vibrant Villages; stresses — congestion, waste, slope instability, disaster risk. Way out: carrying-capacity caps, registration and slot systems, bypasses, eco-tourism corporation, local skilling. Conclude with sustainable mountain tourism.
📌 One-line revision: Bhararisain session 27 Oct • UCC Rules 2026 • Mana Pass–Auli run (May 2027) • Char Dham 56.89 lakh • SUMP 11,200 MW • Probity for Prosperity
