Dehradun, Jan. 4 -- The state government has ordered a comprehensive statewide investigation into alleged irregularities in family (household) registers, following a high-level meeting chaired by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday. The chief minister directed that copies of all family and household registers maintained across districts be immediately secured with the respective district magistrates to rule out any possibility of tampering. He also ordered that a detailed inquiry be conducted at the chief development officer (CDO) and additional district magistrate (ADM) levels. The scope of the investigation will cover the period from 2003 to the present to identify irregularities that may have occurred in previous years as well, people aware of the matter said, adding that strict departmental and legal action would be taken against individuals found to have secured registration in family registers using forged or invalid documents. Officials informed the meeting that family register services are governed under the Panchayat Raj (Maintenance of Household Registers) Rules, 1970, which mandate the registration of every family residing in rural areas. The rules also provide for correction of existing entries and addition of new names. The government has now decided to make these provisions more stringent and transparent. The chief minister said that the authority to register names in family registers rests with the assistant development officer (panchayat), while the right to appeal lies with the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM). He added that family register-related services are currently being provided through the Apuni Sarkar portal. Concerns were also raised during the meeting that in recent years, demographic balance may have been affected due to the registration of names based on unauthorised settlements in rural areas of plains districts bordering the state. In this backdrop, the government has felt the need to amend the existing rules related to family registers, officials said. According to data presented by the panchayati raj department, a large number of applications were received for family register-related services in 2025. Between April 1 and December 31, 2025, a total of 266,294 applications were submitted for the addition of new families, of which 260,337 were approved, while 5,429 were rejected due to rule violations and incomplete documentation. Experts noted that the number of rejections points to the possibility of fraudulent applications, prompting the decision to further tighten the process. The chief minister directed that investigations be conducted uniformly across all districts, including border areas, to ensure there is no discrimination or administrative laxity. He also said that a clear policy governing future registrations in family registers would be formulated and placed before the cabinet. Dhami said that tampering with government records would not be tolerated under any circumstances and that strict action would be taken against those found guilty. Home secretary Shailesh Bagauli, director general of police (DGP) Deepam Seth, director general (intelligence) Abhinav Kumar, special secretary (Panchayati Raj) Dr Parag Dhakate, and director Panchayati Raj Nidhi Yadav were present during the meeting....