Demographic Advantage

As per the 2011 Census, Uttarakhand is home to about 10 Mn people, having a male-female ratio of 963 per 1,000 males. Over 61% of the population falls into the working age group, giving a demographic advantage to the state. The urbanisation rate of Uttarakhand is about 31%, and it has been showing a growing trend over the past decade.

Healthcare Facilities

With a death rate as low as 6 per 1,000 population, Uttarakhand is famous for its wellness and medicinal environment. Rishikesh, known as the yoga capital of the world, celebrates the arrival of tourists from around the globe. The state has 13 district hospitals, 21 subdistrict hospitals, 79 central health centers, and 578 primary health centers.  Uttarakhand is focusing on tripling its healthcare GDP by adding ~10,000 new beds by FY30 to meet WHO recommendations. Uttarakhand is also home to major hospitals like AIIMS Rishikesh, which offer distinctive services like robotic surgery and pediatric cardiac surgery.

Educational Facilities

Known as the school capital of India, Uttarakhand is making significant strides in developing a higher education ecosystem that extends beyond its borders, boasting a literacy rate of 73.3%. The Dehradun-Mussoorie belt is known for its K-12 institutions like Doon School, Welham School, and Woodstock School, and Uttarakhand is also home to renowned higher educational institutions like IIT Roorkee and AIIMS Rishikesh, welcoming students from across the nation.

The state has over 750,000 primary schools with more than 120 Mn students enrolled, 150,000 secondary schools with over 38 Mn students enrolled, and about 173 institutions and 189 ITIs offering technical courses to 30,111 students. The state government also plans to invest INR 15,000 Cr to establish 20 new world-class higher education institutes, thereby enabling a 1.5x increase in the number of colleges per million population.

Technology & Advancement

The electronic manufacturing cluster in Kashipur, spanning over 133 acres, attracts major electronics manufacturing companies to the state. Advancing toward innovations, Uttarakhand is home to India's largest CCTV manufacturer. Uttarakhand also has 100% green energy for its edge data centers. In addition, the state also has a State Council for Science and Technology that has launched the Entrepreneurial Development Programme Mission for high technology-driven entrepreneurship, wherein the council acts as a window for the region to scan and gain access to new technologies.

The state also has the Regional Science Centre in Dehradun to portray the growth of science & technology to popularise science & develop scientific temper. A joint initiative of the Information Technology Development Agency and the Government of Uttarakhand established the Drone Application and Research Centre to aid in understanding the benefits of UAV technology and gain the skills to implement drone technology safely.

Infrastructure

Uttarakhand has multimodal connectivity to all parts of India via road, rail, and air. The road network is spread over 39,000 km; it also has two domestic airports and ~340 km of rail route. The state also has proximity to the National Capital Region and the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor, offering vast opportunities in the land.

Uttarakhand also has the cheapest power tariffs at INR 5.5/unit, offering an uninterrupted power supply. There is also a consolidated government land bank of over 6,000 acres.

Sustainability Initiatives

The state offers distinct renewable energy potential with 3.09 GW of installed capacity as of June 2024. It also has the largest hydropower potential in India at 25 GW and ~85% installed capacity in the state comprised of hydropower.

Government policy initiatives, such as the Renewable Energy Policy in 2023, have led to a 125% increase in investments in the sector, reaching $14.5 Bn in FY22. The state has also launched the pumped storage projects policy and the stamp policy.