Dehradun, May 29 -- The Uttarakhand cabinet on Wednesday approved the Uttarakhand Yoga Policy, 2025 - the first yoga specific policy by any state - to make Uttarakhand a global hub for yoga and wellness. Under the policy, the state government will promote yoga tourism to establish Uttarakhand as an international centre of yoga and spirituality. Rules and guidelines will be formulated for yoga institutes to ensure quality. Yoga will be taken to the masses through awareness programmes and it will be included in the curriculum of schools and colleges in the state. Home secretary Shailesh Bagauli shared details of the decisions after the cabinet meeting. Capacity building in the field of yoga will be undertaken through collaborations with national and international institutions, while the establishment of world-class yoga centers will be promoted. The state government has also fixed some specific goals under the policy. These include establishment of five new yoga hubs by 2030, inclusion of yoga services in all Ayush health and wellness centres by March 2026. The policy envisions the launch of community-focused mindfulness initiatives to cater to the unique needs of people across various age groups, genders, and socio-economic backgrounds. Apart from this, 100% registration of yoga institutes will be ensured, a special online yoga platform will be launched, promotional campaigns and international yoga conferences will be organized to promote yoga tourism. A target has been fixed to develop partnerships with 15 to 20 national and international institutions by March 2028. Under the policy, newly established and expanding centers will be given a grant of 50 percent of the project cost or up to a maximum of Rs. 20 lakh in hilly areas and 25 percent or up to a maximum of Rs. 10 lakh in plain areas. The total annual grant limit will be up to Rs. 5 crore. HTC...