Dainik Nation News Portal
DAINIK NATION BUREAU/DEHRADUN
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami led Uttarakhand Cabinet has approved key amendments to the Uttarakhand Service Sector Policy 2024 to promote more balanced and high-quality investment in the state’s less developed and hilly regions. The original policy, notified by the Planning Department on March 15, 2024, aims to boost investment in priority service sectors such as healthcare, wellness, traditional medicine, education, film and media, sports, IT-enabled services (ITES), data centers, and skill development. The Uttarakhand Investment and Infrastructure Development Board (UIIDB) is the implementing agency for this initiative.
Recognizing the state’s unique geographical challenges, the Planning Department proposed specific amendments to ensure more equitable development across regions. The Cabinet’s approval of these changes marks a strategic shift toward encouraging development in areas that have traditionally been overlooked.
One of the major changes includes the exclusion of already developed areas such as Dehradun Municipal Corporation, Rishikesh, Mussoorie, Muni ki Reti, and Nainital Tehsil from the scope of the policy. This move is aimed at redirecting policy benefits to underdeveloped and hilly regions, thereby promoting inclusive growth.
Additionally, new criteria have been introduced for educational investment projects to ensure quality and long-term impact. These include the requirement for high institutional rankings, a minimum number of registered students, fixed course durations, and limiting benefits to only one proposed educational project per specific area in a district.
The amended policy is expected to attract serious and capable investors, while also ensuring that the benefits reach the regions that need them most. By refining the focus of the Service Sector Policy 2024, the Uttarakhand government aims to strengthen the state’s economic landscape and foster sustainable, regionally balanced development.
