On 9 November 2026, Uttarakhand turns 26. For anyone who grew up in these hills, the date is personal. The state did not arrive by accident: it came out of a long people’s movement for a hill state, and that history still shapes how Uttarakhand thinks about its capital, its districts and its laws.
For a UKPCS aspirant, the same date is also a revision checkpoint. The questions on state formation look simple, which is exactly why they cost marks. One wrong year, one wrong Act number, and an easy question turns into a negative mark. So this year, instead of a celebratory post, here is a short, honest fact file. Every date below was checked against a primary or official source on 6 November 2026, and where we could not confirm something, we say so.
Uttarakhand was created by the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000 (Act No. 29 of 2000). India Code lists its enactment date as 25 August 2000. The Act itself did not fix the birthday; the Centre did, through notification S.O. 950(E) dated 20 October 2000, which made 9 November 2000 the appointed day.
On that day the new state, then called Uttaranchal, became the 27th state of India. The High Court of Uttarakhand at Nainital was set up on the same day, which is why Judiciary aspirants should keep the two dates together in their notes.
Under the Act, the new state’s Legislative Assembly had 70 seats, and it was allotted 3 seats in the Rajya Sabha.
The state began life as Uttaranchal. Parliament changed the name through the Uttaranchal (Alteration of Name) Act, 2006 (Act No. 52 of 2006), which received assent on 21 December 2006.
The new name took effect on 1 January 2007, the appointed day fixed by notification G.S.R. 779(E) dated 29 December 2006. The Act also amended entry 27 of the First Schedule to the Constitution, replacing “Uttaranchal” with “Uttarakhand”.
Exam trap: some study material calls it the “Change of Name” Act. The official short title is the Alteration of Name Act.
Dehradun has housed the state government since 2000 and is today described as the winter capital. On 4 March 2020, during the budget session, the then Chief Minister announced in the Assembly that Gairsain would be the summer capital. The formal notification, issued with the Governor’s assent, followed on 8 June 2020 and named Bhararisain (Gairsain) in Chamoli district as the summer capital.
What the notification did not do was name a permanent capital, and opposition leaders raised that point the same day. As of 6 November 2026 we could not find any notification that settles it, so if a question asks about a “permanent capital”, read the options very carefully.
| Body | Seats | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Legislative Assembly | 70 | UP Reorganisation Act, 2000 |
| Rajya Sabha | 3 | UP Reorganisation Act, 2000 |
| Lok Sabha | 5: Tehri Garhwal, Garhwal, Almora (SC), Nainital–Udhamsingh Nagar, Haridwar | 2024 general election |
Two of the Lok Sabha seats (Almora and Nainital–Udhamsingh Nagar) lie in Kumaon and three in Garhwal. If you are building your map of the state, our district-wise knowledge map for UKPCS shows how to attach facts like these to each district.
Uttarakhand became the first state after Independence to bring a Uniform Civil Code into force. The Uniform Civil Code, Uttarakhand, 2024 (Act No. 3 of 2024) was passed by the Assembly on 7 February 2024, received Presidential assent on 12 March 2024, and came into force on 27 January 2025.
The same day the state launched the portal ucc.uk.gov.in for registration of marriages, divorces and live-in relationships. For the essay and ethics papers, this is a good place to practise writing both sides fairly: uniformity and gender justice on one hand, and concerns about privacy and personal choice on the other.
The state’s legislative activity did not stop there. Our explainer on Uttarakhand’s new irrigation bill 2026 covers a more recent example.
State-formation facts reward precision, not volume. A one-page timeline, revised a few times before the exam, works better than three pages of notes you never reopen:
Pair every date with a “why”. Examiners like statement-based questions, and the reason behind an event is what lets you eliminate a wrong statement. Then test yourself: our prelims error log method works just as well for state GK as it does for UPSC.
If you are preparing for the state services, see our UKPCS batch; for the judicial services, our UKPCS (J) Judiciary programme. For daily practice, the daily current affairs page is updated daily.
It is easy to treat 9 November as one more line in a GK book. But behind that line are people who walked, protested and waited years for a state of their own, and an aspirant from these hills who understands that history writes a better answer, and is a better officer, than one who has only memorised it. Learn the dates. Remember the reasons.
Every year on 9 November. The state was formed on 9 November 2000, so 9 November 2026 marks 26 years of statehood.
It became the 27th state of India on 9 November 2000, under the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000.
The new name took effect on 1 January 2007 under the Uttaranchal (Alteration of Name) Act, 2006, which received assent on 21 December 2006.
Bhararisain (Gairsain) in Chamoli district, notified on 8 June 2020. Dehradun is the winter capital; no notification naming a permanent capital was found as of 6 November 2026.
On 27 January 2025, under the Uniform Civil Code, Uttarakhand, 2024 (Act No. 3 of 2024).
Sources (checked 6 November 2026)
Lok Sabha seat names follow the 2024 general election. Always confirm dates against the latest UKPSC syllabus and official notices before your exam.
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Uttarakhand turns 26 on 9 November 2026. Source-checked dates on its formation, renaming, capitals, seats and UCC, and how to revise them for UKPCS.
