Uttarakhand Investment Summit: New Phase of Development - Dhami

Dehradun, Dec 10 (PTI) A day after the Uttarakhand Global Investors Summit ended here, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday said the agreements inked at the event mark the beginning of a new phase in the state's development journey and expressed his resolve to take it to its logical conclusion.

Addressing a gathering at Forest Research Institute (FRI) where the two-day event was held, the chief minister said he had set an ambitious target of bringing investments worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore to the state through the summit, but investment MoUs worth more than Rs 3.5 lakh crore have already been signed, and many are still in the pipeline.

The agreements worth Rs 3.52 lakh crore were signed in various sectors like energy, manufacturing and services.

Dhami attributed it to an atmosphere of positivity prevailing in the country due to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without his inspiration and active support, the two-day event would not have been successful.

He said priority is being given to the implementation of investment MoUs that can generate maximum employment opportunities for locals.

"We are committed to make Uttarakhand a leading state (when it celebrates 25 years of its existence in 2025), and we are working towards that goal. We are aware of the challenges on the way, but we have trust in our strengths," he said.

Dhami said many steps have been taken during his tenure for the first time in the state since its creation 23 years ago like the enactment of stringent anti-conversion and anti-copying laws, stern action against land and love jihad, steps towards having a Uniform Civil Code and giving 30 per cent horizontal reservation to Uttarakhand's women in government jobs.

"We will soon be bringing a Uniform Civil Code too. We are going to get its draft, and we will start working on its implementation as soon as we get it," Dhami said.

The chief minister also released a Vikas Pustika, tracing steps taken for the development of the state during his tenure.

He also praised the media for playing a very positive role during the Silkyara tunnel rescue operation in keeping up the morale of the families of the trapped workers.