All citizens who have been residing in Uttarakhand for 15 years will now receive a ‘Devbhoomi Family ID’. The Governor has approved the Devbhoomi Family Act 2026 for this purpose, and the law has come into effect. A centralized database of all citizens will be created. Anyone found tampering with this database will face 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of ₹50 lakh.
The Devbhoomi Family Act 2026 was introduced during a recent legislative assembly session at the initiative of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. After being passed by the assembly, it was sent to the Governor, Lt. Gen. Gurmeet Singh (Retd.), who granted his approval. An integrated and centralized database of every family in the state will now be prepared, under which each family will be issued a unique Devbhoomi Family ID.
Chief Minister Dhami noted that various state departments currently use separate beneficiary databases for their welfare schemes. This led to issues such as data duplication, lengthy verification processes, and a lack of inter-departmental coordination, resulting in the wastage of government resources and administrative budgets. The Devbhoomi Family ID will facilitate the exchange of information across all departments. This data will serve as a single, reliable source for welfare distribution systems, effectively putting an end to wastage and fraud.
Who will be considered a resident of Uttarakhand?
According to the Act, the status of ‘resident’ will apply only to individuals or families who have continuously resided within the territorial boundaries of Uttarakhand for the past 15 years or more. This includes permanent employees of the state government or local bodies—and their families—who are currently working or on deputation outside the state. Individuals residing temporarily due to education, employment, or temporary postings will not be considered residents under this Act.
Woman over 18 to be the head of the family
The eldest woman in the family (provided she is at least 18 years of age) will be designated as the head of the family. If there is no adult woman in the family, the eldest male member will serve as the head temporarily; however, a female member of the family will automatically become the head as soon as she attains the age of 18.
Establishment of the Devbhoomi Family Authority
To ensure the smooth implementation of this system, the Devbhoomi Family Authority will be constituted. The Chief Minister will serve as the Chairperson of the Authority’s apex policy-making board. The Chief Secretary will be the ex-officio Vice-Chairperson, while the Principal Secretaries and Secretaries of the Planning, Finance, Justice, Social Welfare, Panchayati Raj, and IT departments will serve as ex-officio members. Additionally, three experts in technical and cyber security domains may also be included. An officer of the rank of Additional District Magistrate will be appointed as the District Devbhoomi Family Officer in every district to oversee data verification and corrections.
