Dehradun — In a major leap for Uttarakhand’s economic development, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth ₹1,271 crore at the Uttarakhand Investment Festival 2025 in Dehradun on Friday.
Standing alongside Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan, Union Minister of State Ajay Tamta, and Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, Shah hailed the event as a landmark moment in the state’s journey from signing MoUs to realizing ₹1 lakh crore in actual investments.
“Translating MoUs into ground reality is as difficult as scaling a mountain,” said Shah, praising the Dhami-led government’s commitment and efficiency.
Four Pillars of Uttarakhand’s Growth Vision
Shah outlined a development model rooted in Ayurveda, Yoga, Organic Farming, and Natural Healing, calling them not just economic sectors but “Uttarakhand’s cultural and ecological assets” with immense global potential. These are expected to fuel job creation, exports, tourism, and wellness-based industries.
Key Announcements and Infrastructure Push
- 81,000 direct jobs have already been created, with 2.5 lakh more indirect jobs expected from emerging ancillary industries.
- Plug-and-play industrial parks are being developed in Haridwar, Dehradun, and Udham Singh Nagar.
- A single-window clearance system has been implemented to improve the ease of doing business.
- Massive investments in religious tourism, including ropeways to Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib worth over ₹6,700 crore.
- New policies introduced for tourism, startups, film industry, and the AYUSH sector to further expand investment scope.
Backed by PM Modi’s Vision
Shah reiterated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership has ensured balanced development across all states, especially the smaller and Himalayan regions like Uttarakhand. He highlighted transformative national infrastructure milestones under Modi’s tenure:
- 88 new airports
- 8 lakh km of rural roads
- Vande Bharat trains in 333 districts
- Tap water access in 16 crore homes
- Free ration to 80 crore citizens
- LPG cylinders to 13 crore households
Spiritual Tourism & Heritage-Led Development
Touching upon Uttarakhand’s sacred identity, Shah underscored the centrality of Char Dham, Panch Kedar, Jyotirlingas, and Shakti Peeths in the state’s development narrative. Projects like all-weather roads, legal frameworks for religious infrastructure, and enhanced connectivity aim to blend heritage with modern growth.
He also took a pointed swipe at opposition parties, accusing them of historically neglecting Uttarakhand’s statehood struggle and now “disrupting progress.”
Towards a $5 Trillion Economy
With dynamic reforms across industry, logistics, wellness, tourism, and infrastructure, Shah said Uttarakhand is on track to become a model hill state and an essential contributor to India’s vision of a $5 trillion economy by 2047.
