Thirteen women who shaped their communities — and thirty-five workers who quietly hold Uttarakhand's grassroots health system together — walked into the Mukhya Sevak Sadan at the Chief Minister's Camp Office on Saturday, 8 August 2026 and walked out honoured. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami presided over the Teelu Rauteli and Anganwadi Karyakatri Award Ceremony, using the occasion to announce a sharp hike in prize money that signals the state's intent to put real weight behind its recognition of women.

From Rs 51,000 to Rs 75,000 — the Teelu Rauteli award's growing value

The Teelu Rauteli Puraskar — named after the legendary 18th-century Garhwali warrior woman who has become Uttarakhand's foremost symbol of feminine courage — will now carry a cash honour of Rs 75,000, up from Rs 51,000. The state had already raised the amount once before, from Rs 31,000 to Rs 51,000 in 2023; this second consecutive hike doubles the original sum in just three years. CM Dhami framed the award not as charity but as recognition owed: 'Veerangana Teelu Rauteli adamya sahas, advitiya parakram aur nari shakti ki amar prateek hain' — Warrior Teelu Rauteli is the immortal symbol of indomitable courage, unmatched valour, and women's power.

Anganwadi workers get a raise — and a promotion path

The 35 Anganwadi workers honoured at the ceremony returned home with more than a trophy. CM Dhami announced that the Anganwadi Karyakatri award money will rise from Rs 51,000 to Rs 61,000. Beyond the prize, the state has revised monthly honoraria across the cadre: Anganwadi workers will now earn Rs 9,300 per month (up from Rs 7,500), mini-Anganwadi workers will receive Rs 6,250 (up from Rs 4,500), and helpers (sahayikas) will get Rs 5,250 (up from Rs 3,550). A new provision also opens a formal promotion route to the supervisor grade — a first step toward treating frontline nutrition workers as a career cadre rather than a temporary workforce.

Uttarakhand's broader push: UCC, reservations, and enterprise loans

CM Dhami placed the ceremony inside a wider policy narrative. He highlighted that Uttarakhand is India's first state to implement the Uniform Civil Code, enacted in 2024, as a structural reform for gender equality in personal law. He also cited the state's 30 percent horizontal reservation for women in government services — a figure that runs parallel to the central government's Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam of 2023, which mandates 33 percent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies. On the economic side, the state is running the Mukhyamantri Laghu Udyog Protsahan Yojana, entrepreneurship development programmes, and interest-free loans to women self-help groups to drive financial independence.

Senior officials present included Cabinet Ministers Rekha Arya and Khajan Das, Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Bansal, MLA Umesh Sharma Kau, Media Advisory Committee Chairman Prof. Govind Singh, Women Empowerment and Child Development Secretary Chandresh Kumar, and Director Banshilal Rana.

Uttarakhand has long traded on the legend of its warrior women. The real test now is whether the budget lines follow the announcements — and whether the women who earned those awards today see the money, and the policy change, reach their villages.