Amit Shah inaugurates, lays foundation stones for 62 development projects worth Rs1,475 crore in Uttarakhand

Dehradun, Nov 6 (UNI) union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 62 development projects worth Rs1,475.31 crore during the Uttarakhand State Foundation Day celebrations held at Parade Ground, Dehradun, on Friday.

Foundation laying was done for 44 projects worth Rs1,073.11 crore, while inauguration included 18 projects worth Rs402.20 crore. The projects mostly pertain to roads, electricity, drinking water, education, healthcare, tourism, urban development and other basic infrastructural developments.

Addressing the event, Amit Shah said that Uttarakhand would be the first milestone in India's journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047. Describing the Uttarakhand foundation day celebrations as an occasion of pride, achievements and renewed resolve, Shah said that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee created Uttarakhand and today it's scaling new heights of development under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shah stated that since 2022 Uttarakhand's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) grew by 50 per cent, while per capita income had risen by 40 per cent during the same period.

Shah applauded the investment MoUs worth Rs3.56 lakh crore inked by the state government in the Global Investors Summit 2024 and investments of Rs1 lakh crore were already grounded. Shah appreciated several significant decisions taken by the state government, including the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code, a stringent anti-cheating law and an anti-conversion law.

He reiterated Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's statement that 35,000 youths had secured government jobs in Uttarakhand and that more than three lakh women had become Lakhpati Didis. Referring to major infrastructure projects such as the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, Char Dham All-Weather Road, Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Rail Project, he said that the expansion of connectivity, tourism, industries, self-employment opportunities and basic infrastructure was strengthening the state's economy.

Dhami highlighted that Uttarakhand had secured the first position in NITI Aayog's Sustainable Development Goals. During the function, the union Minister and Dhami presented the Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman Awards 2026 to 15 distinguished figures of the state in the field of sports, art, culture and agriculture. Among the award recipients were renowned folk singer Narendra Singh Negi and actor Hemant Pandey honoured with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Six children who demonstrated exceptional courage were conferred the Chief Minister's State Bravery Awards with cash prize of Rs51,000.

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