Uttarakhand

SNAPSHOT

#1 State in Ease of Doing Business among hilly states of India

Uttarakhand is the most visited tourist destination amongst all hill stations in India. The state attracted close to 34.36 million domestic tourists and 0.13 million foreign tourists in 2017. 

Uttarakhand was formed in November 2000 as the 27th state of India, when it was carved out of Uttar Pradesh. It is largely a hilly state, located at the foothills of the Himalayan mountain ranges. The state shares its international borders with China in the north and Nepal in the east. Within a short span of its existence, Uttarakhand has emerged as one of the fastest growing states in India and a significant destination for investments in manufacturing industry, tourism and infrastructure

Uttarakhand offers locational advantage due to its proximity to important market of National Capital Region (NCR) and has excellent connectivity with its neighbouring states. The State is well-connected with major cities of the country with two domestic airports at Dehradun and Pant Nagar.

The State has well-developed industrial infrastructure, including Integrated Industrial Estates, sector parks and well-developed industrial estates in private/ joint sector.

The State has abundant natural resources due to its hills and forests. Its agro-climatic conditions support horticulture-based industries. The vast water resources available in the state are also favourable for hydropower. 

Uttarakhand is being developed as an ‘energy state’ to tap the hydropower electric potential of over 25,000 MW. As of April 2019, hydropower generation installed capacity in the state was recorded to be 1,815.69 MW. Power generation in the state for 2018-19 (as of April) reached 1,290.04 GWH. Energy requirement in the state reached 12,778 million units (from April to February 2018). 

The state also offers tremendous opportunities in tourism, owing to its pristine natural beauty and presence of many spiritual tourism destinations. In 2017, domestic tourist inflow in the state were 34.36 million and foreign tourist visits had crossed over 0.13 million. 

The State is rich in mineral deposits like limestone, marble, rock phosphate, dolomite, magnesite, copper, gypsum, etc. It is the 2nd largest producer of magnesite mineral in India. 

The state has 2 mega food parks and is a leading fruit cultivating state in India – ranked no. 1 in production of pears, peaches and plums; ranked no. 2 in production of walnuts and ranked no. 3 in apple cultivation amongst all Indian states.

Uttarakhand has been consistently ranked amongst the top states in India by DPIIT in its assessment for Ease of Doing Business and ranked no. 1 amongst hill states in India. Moreover, Uttarakhand ranks #1 in Export Preparedness Index 2020 under Himalayan states category.

With literacy rate (78.80%) higher than the national average and presence of institutes of international repute, the State has abundant availability of quality human resources. The State is home to leading academic & research organisations, providing a strong foundation for setting up of knowledge-based industries in the State.