The State of Uttarakhand has witnessed rapid economic development and a per capita income higher than the national average. However there have been inequalities and regional imbalances because of development being constrained both sectorally and geographically. These issues need to be addressed in addition to looking at employment intensive industries to benefit the local youth, said the Uttarakhand Governor Krishan Kant Paul. He was speaking as the Chief Guest at the inaugural session of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Uttarakhand annual session on Friday.
Speaking at the session on the theme of new growth engines for double digit growth in Uttarakhand, the Governor acknowledged the importance of industry in the State’s development stressing on the need for focusing on different sectors to further strengthen industry. He referred to the environmental beauty and wealth of the state, adding that the Himalaya mountains, glaciers and large rivers make the state prosperous. He also suggested that development activities should be planned along the upcoming Char Dham highway circuit and the planned Rishikesh-Karnprayag railway line.
State Principal Secretary Manisha Panwar expressed her views on re-energising industry in the State. She said that Uttarakhand is focusing on providing a good environment to the industry. The State’s ease of doing business ranking has improved from 23 to 9 in the past one year and the State is committed to further simplifying the investment process. In the next round of EoDB reforms the focus will be on healthcare, agriculture, renewable energy, hospitality and mining, she said. This reform should lead to investment in these sectors, added Panwar.
CII northern region chairperson Rumjhum Chatterjee congratulated State Government for becoming the first mountain state to join the league of top 10 states on ease of doing business index, with an overall ranking of nine. She added that with the fiscal package nearing its end, the incentives will no longer be available. To mitigate the impact, focus should be to improve the logistics infrastructure and identify certain sectors within manufacturing with high value and low volume products. She added that with the right strategies, the State could continue to sustain the double digit growth by focusing on tourism, education, healthcare, niche agri and IT sectors where Uttarakhand has competitive advantages. Tapping the immense potential of the services sector will also lead to higher revenues for the State, she opined.
Vikas Garg, elected chairman of CII Uttarakhand State Council at the end of the session said that CII believes that the state can sustain its growth rates and employment generation by tapping the opportunities in tourism, healthcare and wellness and education sectors. He added that these sectors are also suitable for the mountainous regions of the state, and hence can drive a more regionally balanced development in Uttarakhand.
The session was followed by a panel discussion with Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST) director general Rajendra Dobhal WWF India programmes director Sejal Worah and others.