In Uttarakhand CSR Dialogue, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami appealed to the industry to increase CSR investment in the state. Many big companies signed the MoU.
Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in the ‘Uttarakhand CSR Dialogue’ program organized at the Chief Minister’s Camp Office on Friday. During this, he urged the country’s major corporate groups, Central Public Sector Undertakings, CSR Partners, representatives of industry and social organizations to take active participation in the overall development of Uttarakhand.
Welcoming all the guests, the Chief Minister said that even in religious texts, special importance has been given to donations and service done at pilgrimage sites. In such a situation, the contribution made under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand becomes more important for both the society and the state.
He said that being born in Devbhoomi is God’s grace, but it is in the hands of every person to come here and work for the society and the state. Therefore, industry groups should play their role in the development of Uttarakhand. The Chief Minister appreciated the corporate institutions which are already doing excellent work under CSR and also urged other industry groups to make maximum use of their CSR funds in Uttarakhand.
Shared resolve to deliver development to the last person through CSR
The Chief Minister said that this program is not just a formal meeting, but a collective effort to bring positive change in the lives of the people living at the far end of the state. He informed that during the program, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with many reputed companies in important areas like skill development, road safety, women empowerment, rural development and education. Also many corporate groups also announced new CSR projects in Uttarakhand.
Emphasis on development model according to the geographical challenges of Uttarakhand
Chief Minister Dhami said that Uttarakhand is a mountainous and frontier state, whose geographical conditions are different from other states. The ecology here is extremely sensitive and development work requires more resources and extra efforts. He said that overall development for the State does not only mean construction of roads, buildings and other infrastructure, but it is equally important to strike a balance between employment generation, social development and environmental protection.
The Chief Minister said that such a development model should be prepared which respects the sensitivity of the mountains, ensures the protection of forests and rivers and provides employment to the youth within the state. Corporate world experience, modern management and social responsibility can play an important role in achieving this goal.
Many new initiatives of the government to accelerate industrial development
The Chief Minister said that the state government is continuously making efforts to give Uttarakhand a new identity in the field of industrial development. For this purpose, the state had received investment proposals worth more than Rs 3.56 lakh crore in the Global Investors Summit organized in the year 2023. He said that so far investment proposals worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore have come to the ground.
To make business easier, the government has implemented a single window system. Besides, a better and safer environment has been created for industries by implementing more than 30 policies including Industrial Policy, Logistics Policy, Startup Policy and MSME Policy. The Chief Minister said that to encourage startups, incubation centers have been set up in the state and a venture fund of Rs 200 crore has also been made available.
He said that these efforts have yielded positive results. Uttarakhand has been ranked first in the country in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) index of NITI Aayog. Apart from this, the state has received the category of Achievers in Ease of Doing Business and Leaders in Startup Ranking.
Zero tolerance policy increases confidence of industries
Chief Minister Dhami said that a better industrial environment can be created in any state only when the governance system is completely transparent. He said that for the first time, the state government has adopted zero tolerance policy against corruption and has taken strict action against more than 200 corrupt officers and employees in the last few years.
He said that industries and investors are directly benefiting from the transparent system. They no longer have to face unnecessary delays or corruption in project approvals, land allotments, industrial licenses and other business processes.
The aim is to make Uttarakhand the most reliable state for investment.
The Chief Minister assured the industry that the State Government is working with full commitment to establish Uttarakhand as the leading Investment Friendly State of the country. He expressed confidence that the efficiency of the corporate world and the transparent policies of the state government will together create a strong and sustainable economy in Uttarakhand, which will become an example for the entire country.
Important MoUs signed with these companies
During the event, MoUs were signed in various sectors with many reputed companies including Kia, Hyundai, L&T, Infosys Foundation, ONGC, ITC, Mahindra Last Mile Mobility Limited, Aditya Birla Capital, Finolex and Panasonic.
These prominent people were present in the program
On this occasion, Cabinet Minister Shri Ganesh Joshi, Shri Khajan Das, MLA Shri Umesh Sharma Kau, Vice Chairman of Infrastructure Monitoring Council Shri Vishwas Dabar, Principal Secretary Shri R.K. Sudhanshu, Secretary Shri Vinay Shankar Pandey, MD SIDCUL Dr. Saurabh Gaharwar, Additional Secretary Shri Manmohan Mainali and many senior officers and industry representatives were present.