Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, in the past 10 years, has given 4.5 times more funds to Uttarakhand than those given by the UPA government between 2004 and 2014.
Addressing the ‘Uttarakhand Nivesh Utsav’ in Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar district, HM Shah said the PM Modi’s government has given Rs 1.86 lakh crore to Uttarakhand over the last 10 years through devolution of taxes and grant-in-aid.
“This was 3.5 times more than the Rs 53,000 crore given to the state by the Congress-led UPA between 2004 and 2014,” he said. The Home Minister said that apart from Rs 1.86 lakh crore, the Modi government has also given Uttarakhand Rs 31,000 crore for roads, Rs 40,000 crore for railway lines and Rs 100 crore for airports – taking the total financial support to 4.5 times more than what the UPA gave to the state in 10 years.
Training his guns on the Opposition Congress in Uttarakhand, HM Shah said, “Ahead of my visit, they posted a message on social media that at today’s event, I should tell the people what the state has gained so far.
I am sharing these financial details to silence them. Asking the Congress leaders in the state to rise above petty politics, the Home Minister said, “I want to tell them that when it is a matter of the state’s progress, they should supplement the effort and not create hurdles in it.”
“If they don’t follow my advice, then the day is not far when whatever little presence that the Congress has in Uttarakhand will also get wiped out,” he said. Slamming the Congress for opposing the initial demands of hill people for the creation of Uttarakhand, he said it was Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who made the dream of a separate hill state a reality.
HM Shah said, “Atalji created Uttarakhand and PM Modi nurtured it so that double-engine governments could serve the people.” Referring to PM Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, the Home Minister said the development of smaller states and eastern states is key to achieving the target.
HM Shah also highlighted PM Modi’s resolve to build an all-weather road for Char Dham to promote tourism, despite opposition from so-called activists. “PM Modi appointed a battery of top lawyers to ensure that the all-weather road project is not stalled due to petitions in court,” he said, listing the proposed ropeways at Hemkunt Sahib, Sonprayag and other tourist destinations with an investment of thousands of crores.
The Home Minister also highlighted PM Modi’s policies that have helped 25 crore people emerge from poverty and helped the country emerge as the fourth-largest economy in the world.Complementing the Uttarakhand government for its commitment to industrial development, HM Shah said, “Over 81,000 jobs have been created, and ancillary industries are expected to generate another 2.5 lakh jobs.”
The Home Minister praised CM Dhami for promoting Dev Bhoomi with transparency in policy, efficient implementation of policies, increasing investment in tier-2 and tier-3 cities and maintaining a balance between economy and environment.
He said the four-pronged development strategy for Uttarakhand will revolve around Yoga, Ayurveda, natural healing and organic farming.The event at Rudrapur, aimed to showcase the state’s progress in industrial investment, is now visibly taking shape on the ground.
Following the Global Investors Summit held in Dehradun in December 2023, investment agreements worth over Rs 1 lakh crore have already been implemented. The ‘Nivesh Utsav’ was organised to highlight these achievements and explore future investment opportunities.
CM Dhami said that under the guidance of PM Modi, the state has managed to attract investment and is realising the implementation of investment of over Rs 1 lakh crore.“Uttarakhand has enhanced ease of doing business and we want to promote the state as investment-friendly state,” he said, assuring government support to investors.
Dhami said the state government has promoted a single-window system for permission to set up industries and introduced 30 new policies, including those on logistics, MSME and investment.He said that based on the feedback from investors, the government simplified several regulations, leading to major investment agreements being signed.
CM Dhami also highlighted that the state has started an incubation centre for startups and allocated Rs 200 crore as venture capital for startups. During the event, held at the Sports Stadium in Rudrapur, HM Shah also remotely dedicated schemes and laid the foundation stone of public welfare schemes involving an investment of Rs 1,342 crore.
The event was also attended by dignitaries and representatives of various new industries that have been established across the state. During the December 2023 summit, a total of 1,779 MoUs were signed, with an estimated investment of over Rs 3.5 lakh crore. Out of these, projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore have already been grounded.