In a town that holds personal meaning for him, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stood before the Tharu tribal community in Khatima on Saturday, 1 August 2026, and laid out a sweeping account of what the state and central governments have delivered — and intend to deliver — for one of Uttarakhand's most historically marginalised communities. The occasion was the Tharu Janjati Samvad Karyakram, a dialogue programme that, in Dhami's framing, is not a ceremonial formality but a live channel between government and society.

Two Everest summits, one stage in Khatima

The programme opened with a moment of rare distinction. Mohan Singh Rana, an Everest-summiteer from the Border Security Force (BSF), and Tila Sen, an Everest-summiteer from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), were formally honoured by the Chief Minister. The gesture set the register for the day: achievement drawn from the border regions, recognised on home soil.

Anti-conversion law and the drug crackdown

Dhami used the platform to restate two of his government's most politically charged positions. He said Uttarakhand has enforced a strict anti-conversion law — the state's strengthened Freedom of Religion Act, enacted in 2022 — to prevent forced religious conversions, and that action against violators is ongoing. He also said the central and state governments are jointly running an anti-narcotics campaign, a reference to coordinated enforcement efforts that have intensified across the Terai belt.

Housing numbers: PM Janman, Atal Awas, and PMAY

On housing, Dhami cited specific delivery figures. Under the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PM Janman) — the 2023 central scheme targeting particularly vulnerable tribal groups — 824 houses were constructed in the first phase in Udham Singh Nagar district, and 101 more in the second phase. The Atal Awas Yojana, the state's own housing scheme, has had its income ceilings revised and per-unit construction costs raised to widen eligibility; Dhami said the scheme has delivered over Rs 3 crore in assistance in Udham Singh Nagar alone. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) has also reached a large number of tribal families in the district.

Across the broader Chief Minister's Border Area Development Programme, Dhami said over Rs 10 crore worth of schemes were completed between 2020 and 2025.

Schools, hostels, and Rs 4 crore for Khatima's girls

Education spending formed the longest section of Dhami's address. The state is upgrading ashram paddhati vidyalayas (residential tribal schools) to Class 12 level, and Eklavya Model Residential Schools are expanding quality schooling access. Concrete allocations announced or underway include: a girls' hostel in Khatima sanctioned at Rs 4 crore; a school and hostel complex in Bajpur at over Rs 16 crore; a 100-bed boys' hostel in Gadarpur; and over Rs 2 crore for sports ground beautification, auditorium modernisation, and building repairs at Tharu Rajkiya Inter College.

Women's economic independence and dedicated welfare officers

For tribal women, Dhami said the government is channelling over Rs 1 crore in revolving funds and over Rs 8 crore in investment support to grow micro-enterprises. Tribal families are also eligible for up to Rs 50,000 in financial assistance for daughters' weddings. To sharpen delivery, the state has appointed dedicated tribal welfare officers in Udham Singh Nagar, Dehradun, Pithoragarh, and Chamoli — a structural move aimed at cutting the distance between scheme and beneficiary. A Tharu Vikas Bhavan (Tharu Development Building) is under construction in Sitarganj constituency.

Dhami closed with a personal note: his bond with Khatima and the Tharu community, he said, is not of today's making — it runs years deep, and it will remain. Representatives of the Tharu community responded by saying his connection to their joys and sorrows has been consistent, and that his work to preserve Tharu culture and traditions is historic.

The numbers on the ground — houses built, schools upgraded, officers posted — will be the measure of whether those words hold.