A border district long defined by its remoteness got a sweeping infrastructure and services overhaul on Sunday, 25 October 2026, when Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami travelled to Pithoragarh and announced 67 development schemes worth more than ₹284 crore — spanning roads, hospitals, a new college, a drinking-water lift scheme, and temple beautification, all in a single public event.

What ₹284 crore buys Pithoragarh

The headline announcements touched every layer of daily life in the Kumaon border district. On connectivity, Dhami approved the improvement and tarring of the Naini Saini Dev–Kanari Pabhain motor road, upgrades to the stretch from Kailigad Bridge to Base Hospital, and the widening of the Chandak–Chheda Digtoli road. On healthcare, the Community Health Centre at Didihat will be upgraded to a Sub-District Hospital, and the Additional Health Centre at Mawani will become a Primary Health Centre — moves that push specialist care closer to villages that currently travel hours for it.

Education got its moment too: Dhami gave the go-ahead for a new Government Degree College at Moonakot (Riyansi). Alongside that, the Askot Lift Drinking Water Scheme was cleared, a CC road at Jyala Mandir Chhana Pandey was sanctioned, and the Gad Devi Temple at village Chimushi will be beautified. Beneficiaries from industry, agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and fisheries departments were handed cheques totalling more than ₹1 crore for self-employment schemes.

The ₹750 crore medical college and the Naini Saini airport

Two flagship infrastructure bets framed the bigger ambition. Dhami confirmed that the Pithoragarh Medical College, being developed at a cost of over ₹750 crore, has already begun its MBBS admission process — a turning point for young people in a district where even secondary healthcare has historically been scarce. Separately, work on expanding Naini Saini Airport at an estimated ₹450 crore is under way, with air links to Munsiyari, Haldwani, Delhi and Dehradun cited as the near-term goal.

The Pithoragarh–Bans–Anwalughat road and bridge project was also highlighted as a means to cut travel time to Gangolihat and ease access to the Haat Kalika Temple — weaving religious tourism directly into the connectivity argument.

Adi Kailash tourism and the one-lakh pilgrim milestone

Dhami pointed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Adi Kailash as a catalyst that has measurably lifted pilgrim interest in the region. The Chief Minister said pilgrim numbers on the Adi Kailash circuit are expected to ek lakh se adhik (exceed one lakh) this year — a figure the state government sees as a direct multiplier for homestays, local transport operators, artisans, and tourism entrepreneurs.

The crowd also joined Dhami in listening to Prime Minister Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme. Dhami described it as 'a source of inspiration for public participation and national service,' situating the local event within a broader Centre–state alignment narrative.

Anti-cheating crackdown and 35,000 government jobs

On governance, Dhami reaffirmed the state's tough stance on exam fraud, saying that under the stringent anti-cheating law, more than 100 people have been jailed, and over 35,000 youth have received government jobs through what he described as a 'fair and transparent' recruitment process. The commitment to welfare of soldiers and ex-servicemen — a politically resonant promise in Uttarakhand, one of India's highest military-recruitment states — was also renewed.

After the main programme, Dhami inaugurated an Optical Biometer at the Seemant Netra Chikitsalaya (border eye hospital) run by the Seemant Seva Foundation, adding a clinical precision tool that will improve cataract and lens surgery outcomes for patients in the region.

With a medical college already enrolling students, an airport upgrade mid-construction, and a pilgrim economy set to cross the lakh mark, Pithoragarh's development curve is steepening fast — and the government is betting that momentum will hold long after the rally banners come down.