Ten years of success

On November 9, Uttarakhand celebrated ten years of its creation. P.S. Chauhan lists five factors which have made Dev Bhoomi a land of opportunities:

The air was replete with gaiety and excitement, as the entire state geared up to celebrate its 10th anniversary on November 9. But as the state is still recovering from the recent havoc wreaked by unprecedented rains and floods, the celebrations this year was marked by simplicity and austerity coupled with dignity in consonance to the dignity of the occasion. The region, even before the creation of the state in 2000, has been a world famous destination of pilgrimage, tourism and education. However, during the last 10 years the region has taken big strides towards progress and development, while retaining its basic traditional features. The five key drivers have taken the state to new heights.

COME TO MY STATE

Pilgrimage and tourism still continue to be the main pillar of strength of the state. Haridwar has always been attracting hordes of pilgrims from all over the world for a dip of redemption in the Ganga, while Rishikesh is a preferred destination for yoga and meditation. Lakhs of devotees, from across the country and the world, participate every year in the Char Dham Yatra, one of the biggest yatra circuit in the world, to pay obeisance at the holy shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. Besides this, the dargah of the sufi saint, Sabir Sahib at Piran Kaliyar near Roorkee is one of the most revered places for the Muslims, whereas the Hemkund Sahib is frequented by a large number of devout Sikhs every year. After the creation of the state the 34 kilometer stretch on the Ganga from Rishikesh to Kaudiala has emerged as a big hub of water sports, including white water rafting, canoeing and kyaking. The recent meteoric rise of Baba Ramdev of Haridwar as yoga guru has suddenly has catapulted the holy city as a global hub of yoga tourism. The state was adjudged as "the best tourism destination in the country" by central government in 2005, while Haridwar was accorded in 2006 the coveted honour of being the best religious centre.

POWER POINT

The third key driver, which has accelerated the development of the state, is the power generation capacity of the state. Being the origin of the rivers like the Ganga and the Yamuna, the state holds out immense possibilities for generation of hydro electricity. With the Chilla Power Project, Vishnu Prayag Project, Dhauli Ganga Project, Tons River Project, Ram Ganga Project and, above all, the gigantic Tehri Dam, the highest in Asia, the state may well become Urja Pradesh (energy state), if the full potential of the water resourced are tapped. A recent development on the power front is the declaration of the 135 kilometer stretch from Gangotri to Uttarkashi as eco sensitive zone and winding up of the Bhairon Ghati, Pala Maneri and Lohari Nagpala hydro electric projects by the Ganga River Basin Authority headed by the Prime Minister. "To compensate this loss the state has now to explore the option of setting up small hydro projects," says the chief minister, Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

NATURE'S BOUNTY

Nature has most beneficently endowed the state with forest wealth, including an amazing variety of flora, fauna and avifauna. There are six national parks, including the famed Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve and Nanda Devi National Park and the Valley of Flowers, which have now been declared as the "world heritage sites" and six wildlife sanctuaries for the conservation of bio-diversity. These parks attract lakhs of wild life enthusiasts and lovers of nature every year. The central planning commission has this year ranked Uttarakhand at the first place among the states for their efforts towards environment conservation.

CENTRE OF EDUCATION

Another factor which is contributing to the development of the region is its network of excellent educational institutions. Thompson College of Engineering, Roorkee, set up in 1847, which is the oldest technical institution of Asia, was integrated into the IIT network of the country just after the creation of the state. If the IIT Roorkee is doing pride to the state in the field of modern technical education, the Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar, established in 1902, is a premier institute for higher studies and research in oriental studies and the G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Rudrapur is a centre of excellence in the field of agriculture science. A number of other universities, such as the Petroleum University, Dehradun, the Doon University, Dehradun, the Uttarakhand Sanskrit University, Haridwar and Patanjali University of Yoga and Ayurveda, Haridwar, which have been set up during recent past, are taking the state to new heights. Public schools, such as the Doon School and the Wellham's School of Dehradun, Sherwood of Nainital and Woodstock of Mussoorie provide world class education.

INDUSTRIAL HUB

The Central Industrial Package (CIP), announced by the centre in 2003, gave a tremendous boost to industrialization in the state. About 300 national and multinational companies, including such industrial giants as the Hero Honda, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hindustan Unilever, the ITC, the Birla Tyres, the Tata Motors, the Asai Glass, the Kirby and the Patanjali Food Park, have set up their units at Haridwar, Dehradun and Udham Singh Nagar districts with an estimated investment of about Rs. 20,000 crores, providing direct and indirect employment to nearly 3 lakhs people. Though the time limit of the CIP, which included several tax concessions, expired on March 31, the state continues to hold charm for the entrepreneurs. "The Central Industrial Package was only a booster dose. It has served its purpose. If the state government continues to follow industry friendly policies and provides required infrastructure, such as the rail and road connectivity and regular supply of electricity, the momentum of industrial growth will continue," asserts Harendra Garg, the president of the Regional Industries Association (Garhwal region).

The last but not the least, the credit of the forward march of the state, as Padamshree Khalid Zaheer of the BHEL aptly puts it, "goes to its brave people, to their tireless efforts and fortitude and their capacity to turn every challenge into an opportunity.