Prime Minister Narendra Modi has redefined the meaning of governance. As he completes 25 years in governance leadership, his journey is not merely a story of political achievement; it is a story of transforming the way India thinks about development, delivery and the aspirations of its people.
For Uttarakhand, his leadership has had a particularly deep significance. He has deep spiritual connection with Kedarnath and Badrinath. I have had the privilege of interacting with him on several occasions and of seeking his guidance on matters concerning the development of our state. What has always struck me is the clarity of his vision. He does not look at Uttarakhand merely as a hill state with geographical challenges. He sees it as a land of immense possibilities—a spiritual and cultural centre, a hub of tourism, a frontier state, an emerging economic destination and a repository of India’s environmental heritage.
His guidance has consistently encouraged us to think beyond conventional solutions. The development of Uttarakhand, he believes, must be both modern and rooted in our traditions; it must create opportunities without compromising our fragile ecology; and it must ensure that the benefits of development reach the last person and the remotest village. This approach is visible in the transformation taking place across the state.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly emphasised the importance of improving connectivity to the Char Dham shrines while ensuring that pilgrimage infrastructure is modern, safe and sustainable. More than ₹12,000-crore Char Dham all-weather road project has made travel through the mountains considerably easier. Work under the master plans for Kedarnath and Badrinath is progressing, with Badrinath being developed as a smart spiritual hill town. Development projects worth ₹255 crore are currently underway there.
The vision is now moving to the next level. The foundation stones have been laid for two ambitious ropeway projects—12.9 kilometres from Sonprayag to Kedarnath at a cost of ₹4,081 crore and 12.4 kilometres from Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib at a cost of ₹2,730 crore. These projects will transform pilgrimage connectivity while reducing travel time and physical hardship for devotees.
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The Prime Minister’s emphasis on connectivity is not limited to roads. The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway line is progressing rapidly, with 72.5 per cent of the work completed. Approval has also been given for the survey of the Tanakpur-Bageshwar rail route, while train services between Dehradun and Delhi and Dehradun and Lucknow have brought the benefits of Vande Bharat connectivity to Uttarakhand.
In the Union Budget 2026-27, Uttarakhand received a railway allocation of ₹4,769 crore. Approval has also been given for train services between Lalkuan and Amritsar Junction and between Dehradun and Tanakpur. Such investments are not simply infrastructure projects. For a mountainous state, they are investments in opportunity, mobility and a better quality of life.
The same spirit is visible in aviation and highways. An additional terminal has been constructed at Dehradun airport, which now has regular air connectivity with several major cities. The ₹11,963-crore, 210-kilometre Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, inaugurated by the Prime Minister, has created a faster and more efficient connection between the national capital and Uttarakhand.
In our conversations, the Prime Minister has often stressed that infrastructure should ultimately improve the lives of ordinary citizens. This is why projects such as the proposed Rishikesh bypass, the elevated corridors over the Rispana and Bindal rivers in Dehradun, the Song River drinking-water project and the Jamrani Dam project are so important.
The Song River project, being built at a cost of ₹2,520.86 crore, will provide 150 MLD of drinking water to Dehradun city and adjoining areas. The ₹3,678.23-crore Jamrani Dam project is scheduled for completion by June 2029. These are examples of development that may not always make headlines, but have a direct bearing on the daily lives of our citizens.
For Prime Minister Modi, development is incomplete unless it is inclusive. Uttarakhand’s experience under the Atal Ayushman Yojana demonstrates this philosophy. More than 61 lakh Ayushman cards have been issued in the state and over 17 lakh patients have benefited from cashless treatment worth more than ₹3,400 crore.
Women’s empowerment has also emerged as a central pillar of our development strategy. More than 2.54 lakh women in Uttarakhand have become Lakhpati Didis. This is not merely an economic statistic. It represents a transformation in the confidence, independence and decision-making power of women across our villages.
Similarly, under the Vibrant Villages Programme, 51 border villages have been selected for planned development. More than ₹270 crore is being invested through nearly 200 development projects. In a state like Uttarakhand, where our border villages are also the country’s first line of defence, strengthening these communities is both a developmental and a national priority.
The Prime Minister’s vision of a strong and self-reliant India has also encouraged us to focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. Uttarakhand has been recognised for its work in the startup sector, while the state has performed exceptionally well in national development indices. We secured the first position among small states in the NITI Aayog Export Preparedness Index 2024 and ranked first in the country in the Sustainable Development Goals Index 2023-24.
These recognitions are encouraging because they tell us that a state with geographical constraints can still aspire to national leadership in governance.
The Prime Minister has also taught us that development and environmental conservation need not be opposing ideas. In a Himalayan state, this balance is particularly important. Whether it is improving pilgrimage infrastructure, strengthening disaster resilience, protecting our forests or developing sustainable tourism, we have to keep the Himalayas at the centre of our planning.
The approval of ₹461 crore for improving landslide-affected locations and ₹113.90 crore under the State Disaster Mitigation Fund is significant in this context. Disaster management in Uttarakhand cannot be an afterthought. It has to be integrated into every aspect of development planning.
The proposed rafting base station at Rishikesh, for which the Centre has approved ₹100 crore, is another example of how new economic opportunities can be created around Uttarakhand’s natural strengths. The Prime Minister’s approach to governance is, ultimately, about converting intent into outcomes. It is about setting ambitious targets, monitoring progress and ensuring that schemes do not remain confined to files.
I have personally experienced the Prime Minister’s ability to look at a challenge from a completely different perspective. His advice has often reminded us that difficult geography should never become an excuse for limited ambition. Instead, it should inspire innovative solutions. That is perhaps the most important lesson Uttarakhand has received from his leadership.
Today, when we look at the transformation underway across the state—from the Char Dham to the border villages, from railways and highways to healthcare, from women-led enterprises to tourism and spiritual infrastructure—we see the imprint of a larger national vision.
For Uttarakhand, the journey ahead is both exciting and challenging. We must preserve our environment, strengthen our villages, create jobs for our youth, expand tourism responsibly and ensure that development reaches every corner of the state.
As Prime Minister Modi completes 25 years in governance leadership, his greatest contribution may well be the confidence he has instilled in India’s states to imagine what once seemed impossible. For Uttarakhand, that confidence has translated into roads reaching the mountains, railways entering new terrains, pilgrims travelling with greater ease, women becoming entrepreneurs, border villages receiving renewed attention and ordinary citizens gaining access to better healthcare and infrastructure. We in Uttarakhand are committed to carrying this vision forward.
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