Uttarakhand Police Gets President's Colour, 16th Force in India

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah was in Dehradun on 6 November 2026 for two events: the Uttarakhand State Foundation Day celebrations and the investiture of the President's Colour on the Uttarakhand Police. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attended both.

President's Colour for the state police

The President's Colour is the highest honour a force can receive. With it, the Uttarakhand Police became the 16th police force in the country to be so honoured. Shah dedicated the honour to the 206 personnel of the force who laid down their lives. The force's motto is 'Karm Satyam Shauryam'.

• Strength has grown from about 13,000 personnel to more than 26,000.
• It topped the country with a score of 93.46 on the CCTNS/ICJS 2.0 dashboard.
• It is the first state police force to scale Mount Everest.
• It won 37 medals at the World Police and Fire Games; the next edition is due in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• Its rescue work was recalled at the Silkyara tunnel, Dharali and Tharali.

Shah said that for any FIR registered after May 2027, the state police will complete the process of securing a conviction within three years under the new criminal laws. He also repeated the Centre's target of a drug-free India by 31 December 2029.

Foundation Day: the state and its numbers

Uttarakhand was created on 9 November 2000, under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. At the 2026 celebrations, foundation stones were laid and inaugurations held for 63 projects worth ₹1,508 crore.

Shah noted that Uttarakhand was the first state to put the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) into practice, and said 15 states have since moved in that direction. Projects he listed include the Rishikesh–Karnaprayag and Tanakpur–Bageshwar rail lines, the Char Dham all-weather road, and ropeways at Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib.