Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed Uttarakhand State Foundation Day celebrations, highlighting significant economic progress and development initiatives in the state. Uttarakhand's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) has increased by 50% since 2022, while per capita income has risen by 40%, indicating substantial economic growth and improved citizen prosperity.
The state attracted investments worth ₹3.56 lakh crore through its Global Investment Summit, with industrial projects worth ₹1 lakh crore already grounded and operational despite challenges of limited time, small state size, and industrial development constraints. The tourism sector has witnessed remarkable 380% growth, transforming the previous 'money-order economy' into an industrial economy that generates wealth and creates economic opportunities within the state.
Infrastructure development includes 63 projects worth ₹1,508 crore inaugurated or foundation laid, comprising the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, Char Dham All-Weather Road Project, Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway line, Tanakpur-Bageshwar railway line, and ropeway projects at Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib. Other major initiatives include Song, Jamrani and Kishau multipurpose dam projects, drinking water, irrigation and energy projects, and development works worth ₹270 crore undertaken in 51 border villages under the Vibrant Villages Programme.
Policy implementations include Uttarakhand being the first state to implement Uniform Civil Code (UCC), preventing multiple marriages and triple talaq, with 15 other states moving toward UCC implementation. The state has also enacted a stringent anti-cheating law for examination malpractices and an anti-conversion law that has made religious conversions impossible. Employment initiatives include 35,000 government jobs provided without recommendations or favoritism, 30% reservation for women in government jobs, 33% reservation for women in cooperative societies, creation of more than 3 lakh Lakhpati Didis, and 10% reservation for statehood activists.
Additional developments include establishing an AIIMS satellite center at Kichha, developing an Industrial Smart City, increasing ex-gratia assistance to families of martyrs from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh, and launching initiatives like House of Himalayas and the Millet Mission to promote local Himalayan and traditional hill products.