Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami addressed a press conference at the state BJP office on Friday, 12 June 2026, marking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's completion of 12 years as an elected Prime Minister — the longest continuous tenure by an elected Prime Minister in independent India's history.

Context

PM Modi was first sworn in on 26 May 2014 and was re-elected in 2019, making him the longest-serving elected Prime Minister since independence. CM Dhami, addressing BJP workers and media at the party office, described the milestone as a moment of national pride, saying the 12 years had seen 'अभूतपूर्व प्रगति' ('unprecedented progress') across every sector of governance.

The press conference was attended by BJP State President Mahendra Bhatt, Cabinet Minister Khajan Dass, and General Secretary Kundan Parihar, reflecting a coordinated party effort to mark the occasion across the state.

Policy Backdrop

CM Dhami enumerated a range of central welfare schemes launched since 2014 that he credited to PM Modi's leadership. These include the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (rural housing), Ujjwala Yojana (clean cooking fuel), Ayushman Bharat (health insurance for low-income families), Jal Jeevan Mission (piped water access), Swachh Bharat Mission (sanitation), PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (farmer income support), Mudra Yojana (micro-enterprise credit), and the Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign for girl-child welfare.

He also cited the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the self-reliance economic programme launched in 2020, as emblematic of the government's pivot toward domestic production and economic empowerment. The Swachh Bharat Mission alone, launched in October 2014, became one of the largest behavioural-change campaigns in public health history.

Uttarakhand-Specific Impact

A significant portion of CM Dhami's remarks focused on the transformation of Uttarakhand — referred to as 'Devbhoomi' (Land of the Gods) — under central support. He highlighted the All Weather Road Project covering Char Dham pilgrimage routes, the Rishikesh-Karnprayag Railway Project aimed at improving connectivity in the Garhwal region, the Manaskhand Mandir Mala Mission for temple tourism and conservation, and the master plans for the redevelopment of Kedarnath and Badrinath Dhams.

These projects, he said, have collectively strengthened connectivity, religious tourism, pilgrimage infrastructure, employment generation, and the local economy across the hill state. The Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail corridor in particular is seen as a transformative project for a region that has historically depended on road access vulnerable to weather disruptions.

What's Next

With the Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail project and Char Dham road packages still progressing, funding releases and completion milestones in upcoming state budget sessions will be closely watched. The BJP's coordinated state-level messaging around PM Modi's tenure record signals the party's intent to consolidate its narrative around governance delivery ahead of future electoral cycles. For Uttarakhand, the pace of infrastructure completion in the pilgrimage corridor will be the most tangible test of the promises made at events like Friday's press conference.