Dehradun, September 22, 2026 : ARUNODAY TIMES
A one-day ‘Uttarakhand Development Conclave: Sankalp – Viksit Uttarakhand@2047’ was organised at Hotel Ramada on Chakrata Road, Dehradun, to deliberate on the long-term development roadmap for Uttarakhand.
The conclave was organised by the Uttarakhand Centre for Public Policy and Good Governance (CPPGG) and SRADSTA. The Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA), Uttarakhand Tourism, Haridwar-Roorkee Development Authority (HRDA), BRIDCUL and ITDA actively participated in the event.
The discussions focused on establishing a long-term direction for the state’s inclusive, sustainable, resilient and prosperous development. The recommendations and deliberations emerging from the conclave will contribute to the preparation of a vision document for Uttarakhand’s development.
Dr Meenakshi Sundaram Highlights Key Priorities for a Developed Uttarakhand
During the inaugural session, Principal Secretary Planning Dr R. Meenakshi Sundaram welcomed former Defence Secretary to the Government of India Dr Yogendra Narayan, former Uttarakhand Chief Secretary N. Ravishankar, retired IAS officer Dr Sanjeev Chopra, along with secretaries and heads of various departments.
Addressing the conclave, Dr Sundaram said that the state’s present circumstances, capabilities, challenges and future priorities needed to be taken into account while preparing a roadmap for development. She stated that the objective was to align Uttarakhand’s development with the national goal of transforming India into a developed nation by 2047.
She said that although there was no single standard definition of a developed state, it was generally understood to mean higher average income, a stronger economy and improved quality of life for citizens.
Dr Sundaram underlined the need to effectively utilise the demographic dividend, increase the contribution of the primary sector to the state’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), provide high-quality education to students and make the workforce employable in emerging economic sectors.
She also emphasised the development of hill regions, the transformation of low-value agriculture into high-value, market-oriented, export-oriented and processing-based agriculture, planned urbanisation and greater focus on the social sector.
She said that efforts must be made to shift workers from the primary sector towards manufacturing and services.
Development Must Ultimately Lead to People’s Happiness: Dr Yogendra Narayan
Former Defence Secretary to the Government of India Dr Yogendra Narayan shared his views with participants through an online address. He highlighted the importance of heritage conservation, tourism, education and social accountability in Uttarakhand’s development strategy.
Dr Narayan said that the conservation of heritage and culture should be made an integral part of the state’s development planning. Cultural resources should be integrated into development initiatives, while heritage-based businesses should be adapted sensitively to local requirements. He suggested that such initiatives could include hotels and cultural activities.
He stated that protected historical areas should be viewed as economic assets capable of creating opportunities in tourism, employment and local businesses. According to him, the strength of a state’s development planning lies in integrating its ecological and cultural heritage.
He also stressed the importance of restoring water bodies as community spaces and developing green corridors connecting biodiversity parks. Keeping historic settlements vibrant through a combination of culture and commerce, he said, would be important for achieving the goals of Viksit Bharat@2047.
On education reforms, Dr Narayan suggested that all postgraduate students should be included in internship programmes with private-sector participation. He also called for expanding homestay programmes to more areas to strengthen the rural economy.
He recommended focusing on modern transportation systems such as ropeways in hilly regions instead of relying solely on heavy transport infrastructure.
“The ultimate goal of development should be people’s happiness, and not merely GDP,” Dr Narayan said. He suggested that states should develop strategies and policies to measure national happiness and that this aspect should be included in Uttarakhand’s development recommendations.
N. Ravishankar Calls for Strengthening Local Bodies
Former Uttarakhand Chief Secretary N. Ravishankar shared his administrative experiences and emphasised the need to strengthen local bodies and the three-tier Panchayati Raj system.
Referring to his experience of working with panchayats and nagar panchayats in different districts during his tenure as chairman of the State Finance Commission, he said that empowered local institutions were essential for achieving the goal of a developed Uttarakhand.
As part of administrative reforms, Ravishankar suggested that certain departments could be merged to improve interdepartmental coordination and ensure that all departments functioned more effectively as representatives of the government.
He also proposed the formation of a district planning committee under the chairmanship of the district panchayat president. In addition, he suggested that the Chief Development Officer be appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the district panchayat to facilitate planned development at the district level.
Three Thematic Sessions Organised
The conclave featured three major sessions focusing on key aspects of Uttarakhand’s future development.
Session 1: Infrastructure for Viksit Uttarakhand@2047 – Connectivity, Resilience & Economic Growth
Discussions focused on mountain roads and tunnels, urban development, housing, renewable energy, ropeways, multimodal transportation and logistics.
Session 2: Climate-Smart Agriculture & Allied Sectors for High-Value, Market-Led Growth
The session covered climate-smart agriculture and horticulture, high-value crop diversification, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), value chains for medicinal and aromatic plants, market linkages, rural enterprises and livelihood opportunities for women and youth.
Session 3: Future-Ready Uttarakhand: Start-ups, Innovation, Technology & Skills
Participants discussed the startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem, technological innovation to address Himalayan challenges, skill development, rural entrepreneurship and strategies to connect women and youth with entrepreneurship opportunities.
Experts and Officials Share Development Recommendations
Several senior officials, experts and representatives from various institutions participated in the conclave and shared their suggestions for achieving the goal of Viksit Uttarakhand.
Those who contributed to the discussions included former Chief Secretary N. Ravishankar; Dr Sanjeev Chopra, former Director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration; Shatrughan Singh, Chief Executive Officer of Setu Aayog; Principal Secretary Planning Dr R. Meenakshi Sundaram; Dr Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Secretary Public Works Department; Chandresh Yadav, Secretary Panchayati Raj; Dr R. Rajesh Kumar, Secretary Housing; and Deepak Kumar, Secretary Programme Implementation.
Other participants included Additional Secretary Planning Narendra Bhandari, Director General of Information Banshidhar Tiwari, ITDA Director Alok Pandey, NABARD Chief General Manager Pankaj Yadav, Dr Lakshmikant, Director of Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan, Dr R.P. Singh, Director of IIRS, Dr Nipendra Chauhan, Director of CAP, Professor Safal Batra of IIM Kashipur, CII Chairperson Sonia Garg, Rohit Mathur of Heritage Aviation and Dr B.S. Negi, APEDA Adviser and former Horticulture Director, among others.
The welcome address was delivered by Additional Secretary Planning Narendra Bhandari. SRADSTA Chairman Dr Kunwar Raj Asthana presented an overview of the programme, while the vote of thanks was delivered by Dr Manoj Kumar Pant, Additional Chief Executive Officer of CPPGG.
IGSI Uttarakhand Ratnashree Awards Presented
During the concluding ceremony, the fifth IGSI Uttarakhand Ratnashree Awards were presented to individuals recognised for their notable contributions in different fields.
The award recipients included Dr Geeta Khanna, Chairperson of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights; Dr Bhanu Duggal, Vice-Chancellor of HNB Uttarakhand Medical Education University; Dr Dharma Buddhi, Vice-Chancellor of Uttaranchal University; Dr Manish Prateek, Vice-Chancellor of GRD University; Ajay Kumar Singh, Managing Director of Ujwal; Dr Tripti Semwal, Chairperson of Mayadevi University; K.S. Chauhan, ACEO of the Film Development Council; Manish Kumar, Additional Director of STPI; and Badri Chand Negi, Deputy Director of the Information Department.
The awards were jointly presented by Principal Secretary Dr R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Dr Ajay Saxena and Sadhana Jayaraj, Secretary of Chinmaya Mission.
