State economy grows 1.5 times in 4 years, per capita income jumps: Survey

Dehradun: Uttarakhand's economy has grown 1.5 times over the past four years, with the state's gross state domestic product (GSDP) rising from Rs 2.54 lakh crore in 2022 to over Rs 3.81 lakh crore in 2024-25, according to the economic survey released by the state govt on Thursday. The survey also showed a rise in per capita income, which increased from Rs 1.94 lakh in 2022 to Rs 2.73 lakh in 2024-25.Sharing details of the report, principal secretary R Meenakshi Sundaram said, "The survey was prepared in collaboration with the National Council of Applied Economic Research and that the state recorded a growth rate of 7.23% in 2024-25."He added, "The multidimensional poverty index, which measures poverty beyond income, declined from 9.7% in 2021-22 to 6.92% in 2024-25, while the labour force participation rate (percentage of people in the working-age population who are either working or actively looking for work) increased from 60.1% to 64.4% during the same period, reflecting a 4.3% rise in employment."Industrial activity in the state has also expanded. The number of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) increased from 59,798 in 2021-22 to 79,394 in 2024-25, while employment in the sector rose from 3.43 lakh in 2022 to 4.56 lakh in 2025. The number of large industries grew from 107 to 128 during the same period.Startup activity has seen a sharp rise in recent years. The state had no registered startups until 2017, but the number increased to 702 in 2021-22 and further to 1,750 in 2024-25, according to the principal secretary.In addition, infrastructure indicators showed improvement. The total length of roads in the state increased from 50,393 km in 2021-22 to 51,278 km in 2024-25. The number of heliports rose from two in 2022 to seven in 2025, while helipads increased from 60 in 2021-22 to 118 in 2024-25.Sundaram further informed that in the education sector, the dropout ratio in primary schools declined from 1.64% in 2021-22 to 1.41% in 2024-25. In secondary schools, the dropout rate fell from 7.65% to 4.59%. The number of govt and non-govt degree colleges in the state increased from 124 to 139 during this period, while govt and private engineering colleges rose from 20 to 52.As per the report, power generation also witnessed a significant rise, increasing from 5,157 million units in 2021-22 to 16,500 million units in 2024-25. Electricity consumption increased from 12,518 million units in 2022 to 17,192 million units in 2024-25.Health indicators showed improvement as well. The infant mortality rate declined from 22 in 2021-22 to 20 in 2024-25, while the maternal mortality rate dropped from 103 to 91. Life expectancy in the state also increased from 71.7 years to 73 years.Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, "The figures reflected the state govt's focus on sustainable development and good governance. The progress made in sectors such as GSDP, per capita income, MSMEs, startups and tourism shows that Uttarakhand is rapidly advancing on the path of development."