Dehradun: Uttarakhand Assembly passed the Minority Education Bill, 2025, on Wednesday, paving the way for extending minority status benefits to institutions run by the Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Christian, and Parsi communities, besides Muslims, in the state.

Once implemented, the Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board Act, 2016, and the Uttarakhand Non-Government Arabic and Persian Madrasa Recognition Rules, 2019, will stand repealed, effective July 1, 2026.

In a social media post, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, "Today, the 'Uttarakhand Minority Education Bill-2025' was passed in the Assembly. Till now, the recognition of minority institutions was limited only to the Muslim community."

He said problems like irregularities in the distribution of central scholarships and mid-day meals and lack of transparency in management were also coming to the fore in the Madrasa education system for years.

The chief minister said that with the implementation of this bill, the Madrasa Education Board Act 2016 and the Non-Government Arabic and Persian Madrasa Recognition Rules 2019 will expire on July 1, 2026.

He said all educational institutions of minority communities will now get transparent recognition, strengthening education quality and ensuring protection of students' interests.

Dhami said the government will have the right to monitor minority educational institutions effectively and issue necessary instructions.

This bill provides for the formation of an authority from which educational institutions established by minority communities will have to get recognition.

The authority will facilitate and promote educational excellence, ensuring children from minority communities get quality education and academic development.

It will ensure education follows standards set by the Uttarakhand Board of School Education, and student evaluation is fair and transparent.