Uttarakhand honoured with top achievers award under BRAP 2024 (Image credits: ANI)
NEW DELHI: Uttarakhand has been honoured with the “Top Achievers Award” under the Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) 2024 across five major reform categories, marking the highest number of top achievements received by any state or union territory in the country.The announcement was made on Tuesday during the Industry Conclave 2025 held in New Delhi.The award was presented to Uttarakhand’s industries secretary VinayShankar Pandey and director general & commissioner industries Saurabh Gaharwar by union minister for commerce and industry Piyush Goyal in recognition of the state’s outstanding performance under BRAP 2024. Union minister of state for commerce and industry Jitin Prasada was also present on the occasion. Uttarakhand has been recognised as a top-performing state in the areas of Business Entry, Construction Permit Enabler, Environmental Registration, Investment Enabler, and Labour Regulation Enabler. This marks a significant milestone in the state’s Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) journey, which began in 2015 when the state ranked 23rd, and has now emerged as a national leader under BRAP 2024.Receiving the award, Pandey said that “earning the top position in five key reform areas under the leadership and continuous guidance of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is a moment of great pride for Uttarakhand. The journey from 23rd position in 2015 to becoming a top national performer today reflects the state’s progress in transparency, efficiency, and investor-centric governance.” He added that Uttarakhand has transformed its business facilitation ecosystem through complete digitisation of approval processes, covering the entire life cycle from application submission and online payments to real-time tracking, final approvals, renewals, and incentive disbursements. “Currently, over 200 services across more than 20 departments are offered online through the state’s Single Window System, reducing physical touchpoints and enhancing transparency. Key departments such as Revenue, Labour, Pollution Control Board, Development Authorities, Forest, Irrigation, Jal Sansthan, and Power are integrated into this system.”To further support investors, the state has established the Uttarakhand society for promotion of investment, startup and entrepreneurship (UK-SPISE), which provides dedicated assistance and complete project facilitation. “The state is focused on simplifying business processes and promoting sustainable and inclusive development to ensure investment growth while maintaining ecological balance”.Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the state aims to become one of India’s leading destinations for industrial investment. “The Top Achiever recognition under BRAP 2024 reflects the state’s policy transparency, industry-friendly environment, and growing investor confidence. Industrial development is creating new opportunities for prosperity and youth employment in the state. Achieving a top position in BRAP 2024 will attract more investment to Uttarakhand and give a new momentum to the state’s economic growth”.
