Implement NEP 2020 as first state

The promise was to become the first state to implement NEP 2020. Uttarakhand did implement NEP-linked Balvatika/pre-primary changes early: TOI reported in July 2022 that Bal Vatikas were launched in 5,000 government primary schools, and NewsonAir reported the CM saying in July 2025 that Uttarakhand was the first state to implement NEP with Balvatika classes in more than 5,600 anganwadi centres. But TOI also reported in August 2025 that only partial changes had taken effect and key reforms such as curriculum restructuring, teacher training, digital infrastructure and the 5+3+3+4 model remained incomplete. The honest verdict is partial: first-mover implementation is real at pre-primary level, full NEP implementation is not verified. Budget status: no clean promise-specific budget allocation found in approved sources for the full NEP rollout.