India News | Projects Worth Rs 1.01 Lakh Crore Already in Implementation Stage: Uttarakhand Govt

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], October 18 (ANI): As the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi slammed the Dhami govt's investment claim, Uttarakhand Industries secretary Vinay Shankar Pandey on Sunday said investment projects worth over Rs 1.01 lakh crore had reached the implementation stage, dismissing the opposition's allegations. 

Pandey said the state’s investment policy prioritises employment while maintaining a balance between ecology and the economy.

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“Uttarakhand is a mountainous state, with approximately 70% of its land area covered by forests. The Chief Minister’s core philosophy is that ecology and economy must progress hand in hand; furthermore, he emphasises that any investment attracted to the state should be focused on job creation, ensuring the generation of maximum employment opportunities,” he said. 

“Our policies were formulated with these principles in mind, leading to the organization of the Global Investors Summit in December 2023. Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth approximately ₹3.56 lakh crore were signed, and subsequent groundbreaking ceremonies were held. To support this, we appointed ‘Nivesh Mitras’ (investment facilitators) who maintained constant communication with our investors, providing them with necessary assistance and resolving any challenges they encountered within the government system. As a result, following three groundbreaking ceremonies, projects worth over ₹1.01 lakh crore have reached the implementation (grounding) stage,” he added. 

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Pandey said project details were publicly available on the Uttarakhand Industries Department’s UKSPICE and Single Window portals.

“All these details have been and remain transparently available on the Uttarakhand Industries Department’s ‘UKSPICE’ and ‘Single Window’ portals. The data is presented with complete clarity, specifying the nature of each project, the relevant department, and its exact location (including latitude and longitude coordinates),” he said. 

The official said the allegations had surfaced on social media earlier and that the government had already responded.

“This matter had previously surfaced on certain social media platforms eight months ago, at which time an appropriate response was provided. The government has also clarified the situation on various occasions within the Legislative Assembly. It is, therefore, quite surprising that this issue has resurfaced. I would like to clarify once again that all of this is highly transparent and remains available on our website to this day; all the data is accessible,” he said.

In a post on X in Hindi, Gandhi earlier said, "A sham by the (Pushkar) Dhami government in the name of investment in Uttarakhand — yet another example of the BJP's 'double-engine' model." (ANI)

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