Dehradun, March 26 -- The Uttarakhand Cabinet, chaired by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, on Wednesday approved the 'Uttarakhand Veer Udyami Yojana 2026' as a supplementary scheme to the Chief Minister Self-Employment Scheme, with a focus on promoting entrepreneurship among ex-servicemen and ex-Agniveers. Officials aware of the matter said 10% of total targets will be reserved for ex-servicemen and ex-Agniveers. The Cabinet also approved extending benefits to both spouses, along with an additional 5% subsidy, in cases where both husband and wife belong to these categories. Officials said the scheme provides graded subsidies based on project cost and geographical location. In hilly regions, a 30% subsidy will be provided for projects up to Rs.2 lakh, 25% for projects between Rs.2 lakh and Rs.10 lakh, and 30% for projects between Rs.10 lakh and Rs.25 lakh. In plain areas, the subsidy will be 25%, 20%, and 15% respectively across the same project brackets. Among other key decisions, the Cabinet approved tenders exceeding Rs.1 crore for consultancy services under the public works department's Asian Development Bank-supported Bridge Improvement Project. In a relief to judicial officers, the Cabinet cleared a provision allowing them to avail soft loans of up to Rs.10 lakh for purchasing vehicles, with interest rates fixed at 4% for electric vehicles and 5% for other vehicles. The Cabinet also reduced the minimum service requirement for the post of chief administrative officer in the forest department from 25 years to 22 years, aligning it with department of personnel norms. Under the energy sector, the Cabinet approved extending the benefit of subsidies under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana to individuals who had installed solar plants by 31 March, 2025. In higher education, statutes governing Swami Rama Himalayan University were approved under the Uttarakhand Private Universities Act, 2023. The Cabinet also approved implementation of rules under the Uttarakhand Public and Private Property Recovery Act, 2025, and amendments to service rules for home guards Group 'A' and 'B' to facilitate promotions, including for the post of commandant at the Central Training Institute. To strengthen policing under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita framework, the Cabinet approved training of police personnel by experts from the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology to support digitisation and modern investigation systems. The Cabinet also decided to retain existing age and height provisions for recruitment of constables and sub-inspectors for the next three years, despite unified service rules framed in 2023. In the education sector, a sub-committee will be constituted to examine recognition of teachers' prior service for promotion in aided schools, in line with a court directive. For farmers, the Cabinet approved procurement of wheat under the Price Support Scheme for the Rabi Marketing Season 2026-27 at the minimum support price of Rs.2,585 per quintal, with a target of 2.2 lakh metric tonnes. It also fixed a 2% mandi fee on procurement of wheat and paddy at MSP. The Cabinet also approved the establishment of the 'SETU Commission' to replace the state planning commission, along with its structure and mandate....