Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday, 4 July 2026, inaugurated a newly constructed academic block and modern auditorium at Graphic Era Hill University in Bhimtal, Nainital district. At the same event, he launched free professional courses for economically weaker but meritorious students under the Graphic Era Kaushal Jyoti Yojana, and felicitated high-achieving students along with beneficiaries of the Graphic Era Kaushal Scholarship Scheme.

Context

Speaking at the ceremony, CM Dhami said the occasion held special significance because the Uttarakhand government was marking five years of what he described as 'seva, sushasan aur vikas' (service, good governance and development). He told students that a state's future is determined not by its roads or buildings but by its schools, universities and the aspirations of its youth.

The Chief Minister praised Graphic Era for establishing its Bhimtal campus, calling it an outstanding example of balanced and inclusive development — bringing quality professional education to a hill district that has historically seen students migrate to plains cities for higher studies.

Policy Backdrop

Uttarakhand adopted the National Education Policy 2020 in 2021-22, mandating the introduction of courses in artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science in state universities. The Dhami government has since prioritised private university expansion in hill districts as a structural response to student out-migration from the Kumaon and Garhwal regions.

The state also enacted one of India's strictest anti-cheating laws in 2022 to clean up government recruitment examinations. Dhami referenced this at the event, stating that the law had yielded positive results and that more than 33,000 youths had received government appointments over the past five years with full transparency — though this figure is as stated by the Chief Minister at the event. He urged students to become job creators rather than job seekers, citing the state's push for startups, innovation and entrepreneurship.

The newly launched free courses under the Kaushal Jyoti Yojana include hotel management and engineering diploma programmes. Dhami said education is meaningful only when its benefits reach the last person in society, framing the scheme as a tool of social equity.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries are economically weaker students in the Kumaon region, who now have access to zero-cost professional certification without relocating. The new academic block and auditorium are expected to improve the learning environment and accelerate research and innovation at the Bhimtal campus.

Dhami also referenced ongoing plans to establish a Graphic Era Medical College and Hospital in the Kumaon division, which, if realised, would strengthen healthcare infrastructure and create fresh employment and education opportunities for local youth. The Chief Minister additionally highlighted state-funded science infrastructure: a Science City in Dehradun, an Astro Park in Haldwani, and a Science Centre in Almora as part of building a research and scientific culture across the state.

What's Next

The rollout of AI, machine learning and data science diploma and degree programmes under the new scheme, and progress on the proposed Graphic Era Medical College in Kumaon, will be the immediate milestones to watch. If the medical college project advances on schedule, it could meaningfully reduce the healthcare access gap that hill districts in Uttarakhand have long faced.

More broadly, the Bhimtal inauguration signals that Uttarakhand's strategy of anchoring private-sector educational investment in remote hill towns — rather than concentrating it in Dehradun — is being deepened, with implications for similar mountain states weighing regional equity against urban concentration of higher education.