Twenty-six years after a long and painful statehood agitation gave birth to Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami used the state's Foundation Day on 9 November 2026 to do something pointed: release a public ledger of everything the government has built, spent, and promised. The venue — Gorkha Military Inter College, Garhi Cantt, Dehradun — carried its own symbolism, a salute to the soldiers and sacrifice that the day commemorates.

At the ceremony, CM Dhami released the Information and Public Relations Department's Development Booklet 2026, titled 'Sashakt Netritva, Vikas Ki Unchi Udaan' ('Strong Leadership, High Flight of Development'). He described it as 'an important document of the state's development journey, public welfare schemes, and achievements across various sectors' — and, notably, as an account of the government's work placed before the people alongside a reminder of future responsibilities.

A tribute to the statehood movement's martyrs

Before turning to statistics and infrastructure, Dhami paused to pay tribute to the amar balidaniyon — the immortal martyrs — of the statehood movement, bowing to the struggle and sacrifice of the state's agitators. He acknowledged the decisive role of matrishakti (women's power) in the state's creation. He then invoked former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, under whose leadership the dream of a separate Uttarakhand state became reality on 9 November 2000, when the state was carved out as India's 27th. Today, he said, work continues under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guidance to make the state prosperous and developed.

The three big corridors reshaping connectivity

The backbone of Dhami's development pitch rests on three central-government-backed infrastructure projects now under execution. The Char Dham All Weather Road project, approved and funded from 2016 onward, promises year-round pilgrimage access to Uttarakhand's four holy shrines. The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is set to sharply cut travel time between the national capital and the state's gateway city. And the Rishikesh-Karnprayag Railway project is pushing rail connectivity deep into the Garhwal Himalayan region for the first time.

The CM tied these corridors directly to everyday livelihoods: 'When a road reaches a village, people get better healthcare. When schools have good facilities, children's dreams get a new flight. When local employment opportunities grow, the problem of migration gets resolved.'

Health and education targets district by district

On healthcare, Dhami set a clear benchmark — a medical college in every district. He pointed to specialist facility expansions in Dehradun, Haldwani, and Srinagar, and flagged the development of an AIIMS satellite centre in Kichha as a milestone in the state's health infrastructure drive. On education, he said smart classrooms and modern resources in schools are receiving special priority.

Tourism, investment, and the reverse-migration signal

The CM cited Uttarakhand's hosting of G-20 meetings as a moment of global recognition and pointed to the 38th National Games as proof of the state's sporting talent and event-hosting capacity at a national level. The Mansakhanda Mandir Mala Mission and expansion of winter pilgrimage routes are designed to convert tourism into year-round employment rather than a seasonal windfall — with the stated goal that benefits reach local people, homestay operators, and small businesses.

On the economy, Dhami cited the state's 2025-26 estimated GSDP of approximately ₹3.82 lakh crore and a 2026-27 budget exceeding ₹1.11 lakh crore. He also highlighted a reported 44 percent rise in reverse migration — people returning to their villages — as evidence that the government's rural livelihood push is beginning to show results. These are government-stated figures and have not been independently verified.

Women's self-help groups, he said, are central to the economic empowerment strategy, alongside efforts to give local products market access and to promote self-employment. 'The government's objective,' he said, 'is to reduce people's difficulties and make every family's future better.'

Twenty-six years in, Uttarakhand's Foundation Day address has evolved into a full-spectrum development report card — and Dhami's 2026 edition made clear that the next chapter is being written on roads, rails, hospital wards, and the quiet determination of villagers who chose to come home.