On 6 November 2026, in Dehradun, Union Home Minister Amit Shah presented the President's Colour to the Uttarakhand Police. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was present. The Home Minister described it as the highest honour a police force can receive and called Uttarakhand the 16th state whose police have earned it. The ceremony came three days before the state's own foundation day, 9 November, and the Home Minister addressed that celebration in Dehradun on the same day.
A Colour is a ceremonial flag, but it comes with firm rules and a short, closely checked list of holders. This explainer covers the rules, the story of how Uttarakhand came to be a state at all, and the terrain that explains why its police are known more for rescue work than for riot control.
What the Colour is, and who can earn it
The President's Colour (in Hindi, the Nishan) is the highest honour that can be given to a military unit or a police force. It is presented in the name of the President, who as Supreme Commander under Article 53(2) is the head of the armed forces. The first one went to the Indian Navy on 27 May 1951. Police forces receive the parallel President's Police Colour, and the President may present it in person or through the Home Minister or a Governor, as happened in Dehradun.
Two points matter for the exam:
- It is a record, not a deed. The Colour rewards sustained service over many years, never a single operation.
- There is a minimum age. In his December 2024 address at Raipur, the Home Minister said a force must complete 25 years of service before it is eligible. Uttarakhand Police, born with the state in 2000, crossed that line in 2025.
Our earlier explainer on Goa Police and the President's Colour gives the roll of forces from Uttar Pradesh (the first state force, 1952) onwards. One caution on counting: published lists differ on whether a force such as Delhi Police is counted as a "state" force, so the "16th" in the release is the Home Minister's tally. Use the number as quoted in the news, but learn the dates.
Three states, one November: the class of 2000
Uttarakhand's police are not the only force from the class of 2000 to hold a Colour. Chhattisgarh Police received theirs on 15 December 2024, also at the hands of the Home Minister, in the state's silver jubilee year. The three states created that November form one of the most tested sets in the polity paper.
| State | Date of formation | Carved out of | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chhattisgarh | 1 November 2000 | Madhya Pradesh | Raipur |
| Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal until 2007) | 9 November 2000 | Uttar Pradesh | Dehradun (interim) |
| Jharkhand | 15 November 2000 | Bihar | Ranchi |
Each was created by its own parent-state reorganisation Act of 2000. Uttarakhand was the 27th state of India at the time of formation, Chhattisgarh the 26th and Jharkhand the 28th, a sequence that follows the dates in the table.
How a state is created: Articles 2, 3 and 4
The Constitution gives Parliament, not the states, the power to redraw the map.
- Article 2 allows Parliament to admit or establish new states that are not yet part of the Union (Sikkim in 1975 is the example).
- Article 3 allows Parliament, by law, to form a new state by separating territory from a state, uniting states or parts of states, or altering the area, boundaries or name of any state.
- A Bill under Article 3 can be introduced only on the recommendation of the President, and the President must first refer it to the legislature of the state concerned for its views within a set time. Those views are not binding.
- Article 4 says that such laws are not constitutional amendments under Article 368. A simple majority is enough.
The result is a federation in which the Union is "indestructible" but its states are not. The word the Constitution uses in Article 1 is a "Union of States", and the Supreme Court has long read it to mean that the boundaries of states can be changed without their consent.
The road to 9 November 2000
The demand for a separate hill state is older than the state itself. The region, made up of the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions, is mountainous, thinly populated and economically distinct from the plains of Uttar Pradesh. Hill leaders argued from the 1950s onwards that planning made in Lucknow suited the plains and neglected the hills, in roads, schools and jobs.
The movement turned into a mass agitation in the early 1990s. A tragic marker is 2 October 1994, when police firing at Rampur Tiraha in Muzaffarnagar killed several activists who were travelling to Delhi for a demonstration. The date is still remembered each year in the state; exact casualty figures vary between sources, so treat the toll as "at least six or seven" if you meet it in a discussion.
After the Centre agreed, Parliament passed the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000, and the new state came into being on 9 November 2000 as Uttaranchal. A separate Act of Parliament, passed in December 2006, changed the name to Uttarakhand with effect from 1 January 2007.
A few facts to fix:
- Capital. Dehradun is the interim capital. Gairsain (Bhararisain), in Chamoli district, was announced as the summer capital in 2020. The question of a permanent capital has never been formally settled.
- High Court. The state's High Court sits at Nainital.
- Size. About 53,483 km² (roughly 1.6% of India), 13 districts in two divisions, and a population of around 1 crore at the 2011 census.
- Borders. Uttarakhand has an international frontier with Tibet (China) to the north and Nepal to the east, which is why it is both a pilgrimage state and a border state.
The terrain that shapes the force
The Home Minister's address spent more time on what the police do than on what they wear, and the list is a geography lesson in itself. Uttarakhand holds the sources of the Ganga and the Yamuna, the shrines of the Char Dham (Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri), Hemkund Sahib, the Kainchi Dham ashram near Nainital, and the periodic Kumbh at Haridwar. Lakhs of pilgrims move through narrow mountain roads every month during the season. Crowd control, traffic and emergency response all fall on a force that, in the Home Minister's words, has grown from about 13,000 to over 26,000 personnel since 2000.
The same terrain brings hazards:
- Landslides, flash floods and cloudbursts. The 2013 Kedarnath disaster is the benchmark. The release also names Dharali (the August 2025 flash flood on the Kheer Ganga in Uttarkashi), Tharali, Syanchatti and Maldevta among the calamities in which the force has worked. For the physical processes behind these events, see our explainer on Himalayan cloudbursts.
- The Silkyara tunnel. On 12 November 2023 part of the Silkyara–Barkot tunnel in Uttarkashi collapsed during construction and trapped 41 workers. They were brought out on 28 November 2023, after about 17 days, through a rescue that combined drilling, an escape pipe and manual "rat-hole" digging. The Home Minister cited it as an example of the force's work.
- Forest fires, which recur each summer in the pine belts of the lower hills.
Two further disaster-response ideas are worth keeping. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) is the state's own trained team, backed by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Many SDRF personnel in hill states come from the police, which is why the release speaks of "the SDRF or regular police" in the same breath.
The border villages and the ITBP
The Home Minister said that in any remote area the first person to reach a stranded traveller is either a jawan of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) or one from the Uttarakhand Police. The ITBP was raised on 24 October 1962, after the war with China, and guards the Line of Actual Control from the Karakoram Pass to Jachep La, including the passes of Uttarakhand such as Mana, Niti and Lipulekh.
The state's border villages have lost people for decades as families moved down to the plains. The Vibrant Villages Programme, a Centre-funded scheme for villages along the northern border, is meant to reverse that. The two releases of 6 November refer to 51 border villages in Uttarakhand, with works worth about ₹270 crore, and to young people beginning to return. A settled border village is also a source of local information for the security forces, which is why the programme is a security measure as well as a development one. Our explainer on Vibrant Villages Programme-II covers its design.
What the release records about the force
The press release gives a set of figures and claims that can be checked against the published text. They are the Home Minister's statements, so attribute them in an answer.
- Strength. From about 13,000 to over 26,000 personnel in the state's 25 years.
- Sacrifice. The honour was dedicated to the 206 personnel who died in the line of duty.
- Digital policing. A score of 93.46 on the CCTNS / ICJS 2.0 dashboard, which he said is the top position in the country. CCTNS is the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems, which links police stations; ICJS links police, courts, prosecution, prisons and forensic labs on one platform.
- New criminal laws. The three codes that replaced the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act came into force on 1 July 2024. The Home Minister said Uttarakhand has made major efforts to implement them, with forensic science laboratories integrated into investigations.
- Mountaineering. He called the force the first state police in the country to scale Mount Everest, and noted 37 medals at the World Police and Fire Games, whose next edition is due at Gandhinagar.
- The drug target. He repeated the Centre's resolve to make India drug-free by 31 December 2029, and set a three-year horizon for the state.
Why a defence aspirant should care
Uttarakhand is a military state in a way few others are. Dehradun is home to the Indian Military Academy, which began training officers in 1932, and to the Rashtriya Indian Military College, founded in 1922 as a feeder school for the services. The Garhwal Rifles have their regimental centre at Lansdowne and the Kumaon Regiment at Ranikhet, and both regiments draw a large share of their recruits from the hills. Our Indian Army notes place these regiments in the wider order of battle.
A police Colour in such a state has a particular meaning. The civil and military sides of the hills' security share the same people, the same roads and the same rescue tasks.
🔑 Revision block
The event. 6 November 2026, Dehradun: Amit Shah presents the President's Colour to Uttarakhand Police; the Home Minister calls it the 16th state force to receive it (the count depends on the list used).
The Colour. Highest honour for a unit or force; first given to the Navy on 27 May 1951; police receive the President's Police Colour; a force must have completed 25 years of service (Home Minister, Raipur, 2024). First state force: Uttar Pradesh, 1952.
State formation. Uttarakhand: 9 Nov 2000, 27th state, from Uttar Pradesh, UP Reorganisation Act, 2000; Uttaranchal → Uttarakhand on 1 Jan 2007. Class of 2000: Chhattisgarh 1 Nov, Uttarakhand 9 Nov, Jharkhand 15 Nov.
Constitution. Article 3: Parliament forms new states by law; President's recommendation; state's views not binding. Article 4: not an Article 368 amendment; simple majority.
Geography. Capital Dehradun (interim), summer capital Gairsain, High Court Nainital; about 53,483 km², 13 districts; borders Tibet and Nepal; Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib.
Numbers in the release. Force 13,000 → 26,000+; 206 martyrs; 93.46 on CCTNS/ICJS 2.0; 37 medals at the World Police and Fire Games; 51 border villages in Vibrant Villages Programme.
Events. Silkyara tunnel collapse 12 Nov 2023, 41 rescued 28 Nov 2023; Dharali flash flood Aug 2025; ITBP raised 24 Oct 1962; IMA Dehradun 1932, RIMC 1922.
🎯 Practice MCQs
Q1. The President's Colour was first presented to which service of independent India?
(a) The Indian Army
(b) The Indian Navy
(c) The Indian Air Force
(d) The Indian Coast Guard
→ (b)
The Navy received it on 27 May 1951 from President Rajendra Prasad.
Q2. Under which Article of the Constitution can Parliament, by law, form a new state out of an existing one?
(a) Article 1
(b) Article 2
(c) Article 3
(d) Article 368
→ (c)
Article 3 covers forming new states, changing areas, boundaries and names. Article 2 covers states not yet in the Union, and Article 368 is the amendment procedure.
Q3. Which of the following is correct about a Bill to form a new state under Article 3?
(a) It needs the President's recommendation, and the state legislature's views are not binding
(b) It requires a two-thirds majority and ratification by half the states
(c) It needs the consent of the state concerned
(d) It can be introduced only in the Rajya Sabha
→ (a)
The President refers the Bill to the state legislature for its views, but Parliament is free to ignore them. Article 4 makes it an ordinary law passed by a simple majority.
Q4. Arrange the following states in the order of their formation:
1. Jharkhand
2. Uttarakhand
3. Chhattisgarh
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1, 2, 3
(b) 2, 3, 1
(c) 3, 1, 2
(d) 3, 2, 1
→ (d)
Chhattisgarh was formed on 1 November 2000, Uttarakhand on 9 November and Jharkhand on 15 November.
Q5. The name "Uttaranchal" was officially changed to "Uttarakhand" with effect from:
(a) 9 November 2000
(b) 26 January 2001
(c) 1 January 2007
(d) 9 November 2010
→ (c)
The change followed a law passed in December 2006 and took effect on 1 January 2007.
Q6. Which of the following is the summer capital of Uttarakhand?
(a) Gairsain
(b) Nainital
(c) Haldwani
(d) Mussoorie
→ (a)
Gairsain (Bhararisain) in Chamoli district was announced as summer capital in 2020. Dehradun is the interim capital and the High Court is at Nainital.
Q7. Consider the following statements:
1. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police was raised in 1947, at the time of Partition.
2. The Indian Military Academy is located at Dehradun.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
→ (b)
The ITBP was raised on 24 October 1962, after the war with China, so statement 1 is wrong. The IMA has trained officers at Dehradun since 1932.
Q8. The Silkyara tunnel, where 41 workers were trapped in November 2023, is located in which district?
(a) Chamoli
(b) Pithoragarh
(c) Tehri Garhwal
(d) Uttarkashi
→ (d)
The Silkyara–Barkot tunnel on the Char Dham road project lies in Uttarkashi district. All 41 workers were rescued on 28 November 2023.
📋 How this gets asked (PYQ pattern)
Awards and honours for forces show up in NDA general knowledge as short, factual items: which service got a distinction first, what the distinction is called, and who presents it. Learn the Navy's 1951 date and the term Colour/Nishan, and do not mix it up with gallantry awards, which are presented separately.
The second route is polity. Questions on the creation of states test Articles 2, 3 and 4 word for word, usually through statements such as "the state legislature's consent is required" (false) or "it is an amendment under Article 368" (false). The third route is chronology: the order of Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand in 2000, and the later formation of Telangana on 2 June 2014.
Finally, the geography paper likes Uttarakhand's features: the Char Dham, the origins of the Ganga and Yamuna, the border with Tibet and Nepal, and the two divisions Garhwal and Kumaon. The fresh hook this week is 26 years of statehood (completed on 9 November 2026) and the 16th police Colour as counted by the Home Minister.
Preparing for NDA? Practise listing the states formed in 2000 and 2014 with their parent states and dates; it is a five-minute exercise that wins a question. Revise the constitutional side with our notes on the Union executive and the President and the Himalayas and drainage. Follow the daily NDA current affairs, and learn with experienced faculty in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
Source: PIB / Ministry of Home Affairs, "Union Home Minister ... presents the President's Colour to Uttarakhand Police in Dehradun" and "... addresses Uttarakhand State Foundation Day celebrations in Dehradun", both 6 November 2026; PIB, Chhattisgarh Police Colour release, 15 December 2024. State-formation dates, Articles 2–4 and background from the Constitution of India and the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000; Silkyara rescue dates from PIB (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways) media briefs of November 2023.
✍️ Written by Col Vijayant Thakur — Veteran, Indian Army; SSB & defence-studies faculty at The Cavalier. Reviewed by the Cavalier Faculty Desk.