Dehradun’s Parade Ground turned into a sea of people on Monday. The occasion — four years of the Pushkar Singh Dhami government. The event, titled “Jan-Jan Ki Sarkar — Char Saal Bemisaal”, saw Chief Minister Dhami arrive in style via a roadshow from Kanak Chowk, waving to packed crowds all the way to the venue. Once there, he walked through exhibitions put up by various departments — before taking the stage for what turned into a wide-ranging address covering everything from jobs and investment to identity and tradition.
A Promise Made on This Very Ground
Dhami opened with a moment of reflection. Four years ago, he said, he stood on this same ground and took an oath — not just of office, but of purpose. The resolve was to restore the pride of Devbhoomi. Today, he said, that promise is no longer just words.
He recalled Prime Minister Modi’s declaration from Kedarnath in 2021 — that the third decade of this century would belong to Uttarakhand. “We have taken that as our mission,” Dhami said, “and the results are beginning to show.”
The Numbers Tell a Story
The CM laid out his government’s report card in hard figures. The state economy has grown one and a half times over. GSDP rose 7.23 percent in just the last year. Per capita income is up 41 percent — money that is reaching ordinary households, not just balance sheets.
Over 20,000 new industries have come up. Startups, once numbering around 700, now stand at 1,750. The Global Investment Summit pulled in proposals worth over ₹3.76 lakh crore — and crucially, more than ₹1 lakh crore of that has already moved from paper to ground.
More than 2.65 lakh women are now Lakhpati Didis. And in a state long scarred by migration, reverse migration has jumped 44 percent. People are coming back to the hills — and that, perhaps more than any statistic, says something real about what has changed.
Thirty Thousand Jobs. One Hundred Cheats Behind Bars.
For years, Uttarakhand’s youth watched their futures get stolen — by paper leaks, by exam fraud, by a system that rewarded connections over merit. Dhami said his government drew a hard line. A strict anti-cheating law came in, and the results followed. Thirty thousand young people have received government jobs in four and a half years. Over a hundred members of the cheating mafia are currently sitting in jail.
“Earlier, only small fish were caught,” the CM said. “Today, the big ones are being arrested too.”
National Recognition Has Followed
The state’s performance has not gone unnoticed at the national level. NITI Aayog ranked Uttarakhand first in the country in its Sustainable Development Goals Index for 2023-24. The state earned Achiever status in Ease of Doing Business and Leaders status in Startup Ranking. For mining sector reforms, the Centre ranked it second nationally and handed over ₹200 crore as reward. For four straight years now, Uttarakhand has held the title of India’s Most Film Friendly State.
₹401 Crore — Delivered on the Ground
The event was not just about speeches. CM Dhami inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 74 development projects totalling ₹401 crore 86 lakh — 41 inaugurations worth ₹302 crore and 33 foundation stones worth ₹99 crore.
The headline project was a Sewage Treatment Plant at Sapera Basti under Namami Gange, costing close to ₹79 crore. Sewer lines, drainage networks and flood protection works were inaugurated across multiple Dehradun neighbourhoods. Mountain canals in Chakrata, Kalsi and Vikasnagar — long in disrepair — were formally handed back to the public after restoration.
Seven government inter colleges got new buildings — in Majri Grant, Guniyalgaon, Badwala, Gwasapool, Pozitilani, Lakhwad and Koti Colony. A 100-bed mental health hospital at Selaqui was also inaugurated — a facility the region has long needed.
Among the new foundation stones, the widening of the Nagal Jwalapur to Doiwala road and the reinforcement of the Rajpur Road drinking water scheme stood out. Canal restoration work was also launched across several assembly segments.
Devbhoomi’s Identity — A Political Commitment
Dhami closed on a note that was as much cultural as it was political. The government, he said, has implemented the Uniform Civil Code — the first state in the country to do so. Anti-conversion and anti-riot laws are in place. More than 12,000 acres of encroached government land has been reclaimed. And from July this year, all madrasas in the state will follow the curriculum laid down by the government board.
Cabinet ministers, MPs, MLAs and senior officials filled the front rows. The crowd stretched well beyond them.
