CM Dhami Honours Board Toppers at Vidya Bharati Event in Roorkee
Synopsis
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami felicitated board exam toppers at a Vidya Bharati talent ceremony in Roorkee on 27 July 2026, highlighting state education schemes including NEP 2020 rollout, the Medhavi Chhatra Protsahan Yojana and the Kaushalam skill programme.
Key Takeaways
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami honoured meritorious High School and Intermediate board students at the Pratibha Samman Samaroh organised by Vidya Bharati in Roorkee on 27 July 2026 .
This was the third consecutive year Dhami participated in the Vidya Bharati talent honour programme in Uttarakhand.
The Chief Minister inaugurated the Anand Swaroop Arya Saraswati Vidya Mandir Shishu Vatika during the event.
Uttarakhand's active education schemes include smart classrooms , free textbooks , Mukhyamantri Medhavi Chhatra Protsahan Yojana , IT labs , model colleges and the Kaushalam skill programme.
Dhami linked student achievement to PM Modi 's Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, calling students 'the present and future of India.' Senior officials including IIT Roorkee Director Kamal Kishore Pant and District Magistrate Mayur Dixit attended, reflecting the event's official weight.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday, 27 July 2026, felicitated meritorious students who excelled in High School and Intermediate board examinations at a Pratibha Samman Samaroh (talent honour ceremony) organised by Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shikshan Sansthan, Uttarakhand, in Roorkee. The Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand shared details of the event, noting that Dhami also inaugurated the Anand Swaroop Arya Saraswati Vidya Mandir Shishu Vatika during the programme.
Context
Addressing the gathering, CM Dhami said it was his good fortune to get the opportunity to honour talented students for the third consecutive year. He stated that the outstanding success of the students proved that 'every goal can be achieved through hard work, discipline and good values.' The Chief Minister extended his best wishes to the honoured students, saying the recognition would 'give new energy to their self-confidence and inspire them to excel in all future examinations and every sphere of life.'
The event was attended by a wide cross-section of dignitaries, including Smt. Kaushalya Devi Arya, President of Anand Swaroop Arya Saraswati Vidya Mandir Roorkee; Shri Domeshwar Sahu, Central Organisation Minister of Vidya Bharati; Dr Rajnikant Shukla, Minister of Bharatiya Shiksha Samiti; Shri Kamal Kishore Pant, Director of IIT Roorkee; Kiran Chaudhary, District Panchayat President; Anita Aggarwal, Mayor of Roorkee; and Dr Madhu Singh, BJP District President Roorkee, among others.
Policy Backdrop
CM Dhami used the occasion to highlight Uttarakhand's education initiatives, asserting that the state government implemented the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to make the education system 'modern, practical and employment-oriented.' The NEP 2020, approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2020, was India's first major overhaul of education policy in over three decades, emphasising multidisciplinary learning, vocational skills and alignment with Indian knowledge systems.
The Chief Minister enumerated several ongoing state schemes: smart classrooms, free textbooks, distribution of shoes and school bags, the Mukhyamantri Medhavi Chhatra Protsahan Yojana, a Bharat Bhraman (India tour) programme, establishment of model colleges, construction of IT labs and hostels in government schools. He also highlighted the 'Kaushalam' programme, which is being run to promote skill development, the Indian knowledge tradition and entrepreneurship.
Vidya Bharati, the organising body, is a nationwide network of schools that emphasises value-based education rooted in Indian culture, nationalism and what Dhami described as Sanatan Sanskriti (eternal Indian culture). The Chief Minister credited the organisation with laying 'a strong foundation of education and values across the country based on Sanatan culture, patriotism and Indian life values.'
Stakeholders and Impact
The immediate beneficiaries of the ceremony were meritorious students from High School and Intermediate board examinations drawn from across various districts of Uttarakhand. Parents and students from multiple districts were present at the event, reflecting the programme's reach beyond Roorkee city.
State Minister Shri Shyamveer Singh Saini, along with Shri Dinesh Kaushik, Shri Ajit Chaudhary and Shri Adesh Saini, were also present. Senior administrative officials including District Magistrate Shri Mayur Dixit, Senior Superintendent of Police Shri Navneet Singh Bhullar, Joint Magistrate Shri Deepak Ramchandra Seth and Sub-District Magistrate Bhagwanpur Shri Devendra Negi attended, underscoring the event's official significance.
What's Next
CM Dhami called upon students to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047, saying their 'knowledge, values, patriotism and leadership ability' would be central to that goal. The Chief Minister's remarks signal continued state focus on aligning school-level recognition and infrastructure investment with the broader national education agenda.
Observers will watch for further expansion of the Kaushalam skill programme and the rollout of additional model colleges across Uttarakhand districts, as well as potential budgetary updates on NEP implementation in the next state assembly session.
Point of View
CM Dhami is positioning Uttarakhand's education agenda as both administratively modern and ideologically coherent with the central government's vision. The third consecutive attendance signals that this event has become a fixture in the state's political calendar, lending Vidya Bharati greater institutional visibility. The presence of the IIT Roorkee Director alongside RSS-linked education officials is a deliberate optic, bridging elite technical education with value-based schooling to broaden the coalition of endorsers.
NationPress
27 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Pratibha Samman Samaroh organised by Vidya Bharati in Uttarakhand?
The Pratibha Samman Samaroh is an annual talent honour ceremony organised by Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shikshan Sansthan to felicitate students who achieve outstanding results in High School and Intermediate board examinations. The 2026 edition was held in Roorkee and was attended by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
What is the Mukhyamantri Medhavi Chhatra Protsahan Yojana in Uttarakhand?
The Mukhyamantri Medhavi Chhatra Protsahan Yojana is a state government scheme in Uttarakhand designed to incentivise and reward academically meritorious students in government schools. It is part of a broader package of measures that also includes free textbooks, smart classrooms and IT labs.
What is the Kaushalam programme launched by the Uttarakhand government?
Kaushalam is a programme run by the Uttarakhand state government to promote skill development, the Indian knowledge tradition and entrepreneurship among students and youth. CM Dhami mentioned it as a key pillar of the state's effort to make education employment-oriented.
Has Uttarakhand implemented the National Education Policy 2020?
The Uttarakhand government has stated that it implemented NEP 2020 with a focus on early rollout of vocational and cultural components. CM Dhami has claimed the state was among the first to act on the policy, though the exact scope of implementation is subject to ongoing review.
Who is Pushkar Singh Dhami and what is his role in education in Uttarakhand?
Pushkar Singh Dhami has been the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand since 2021. Under his leadership, the state has rolled out several education initiatives including smart classrooms, free textbooks, model colleges and the Kaushalam skill programme, alongside early adoption of the National Education Policy 2020.
