Uttarakhand’s performance in the SKOCH State of Governance Report 2024 marks a historic milestone, with the state breaking into the top 10 for the first time, securing the #7 national rank. This significant leap—from #12 in 2023—signals a sharp upward trajectory driven by strategic reforms, institutional innovation, and strong sectoral delivery. In total, 31 well-performing projects were evaluated from Uttarakhand this year, including two highly impactful and eight impactful initiatives. The state demonstrated expansive participation across 15 categories, with standout leadership in Education, Handlooms & Textiles, and Infrastructure, each earning #1 national ranking.
What sets Uttarakhand apart in 2024 is the quality of its first-time participation. The state ranked #2 in both Women & Child Development and Animal Husbandry & Fisheries, and #3 in Food & Civil Supplies and Cooperation, despite entering these categories for the first time. This signals not just experimentation, but successful policy execution in previously underrepresented domains. Additionally, Uttarakhand made a strong comeback in General Administration and Municipal Governance, ranking #3 nationally in both—showcasing improved institutional coordination and grassroots service delivery.
High-Impact and Transformative Initiatives
- Accelerating Economic Growth and Fast-Tracking SDGs (CPPGG): This project has positioned Uttarakhand as a national leader in SDG-aligned governance. The Centre for Public Policy and Good Governance (CPPGG) employed the C3N (Convergence, Coordination, Community Participation, Networking) model to drive policy coherence, real-time SDG tracking, and institutional reforms—contributing to the state’s rise to #4 in the SDG India Index and Rank 1 in Goal 7 and Goal 16.
- Municipal Solid Waste Management Facility, Kirtinagar: The first of its kind in hilly regions of Uttarakhand, this facility diverts 350 tons of waste annually from the Ganga River, promotes zero liquid discharge, and has generated over 2,000 jobs, establishing a replicable model for sustainable solid waste management in mountainous terrain.
- Water Supply Augmentation in Dehradun: Under the Smart Cities Mission, this project modernised water supply infrastructure through smart meters, energy-efficient pipelines, and water ATMs. Outcomes included 10% annual energy savings, improved access to potable water, and enhanced service reliability for thousands of residents.
- Operation PINK by Uttarakhand Police: A women’s safety initiative that trained over 15,000 schoolgirls in self-defense and cyber-awareness, and enhanced community patrolling. It significantly improved public confidence and contributed to Uttarakhand’s jump in the Police & Safety category, now ranked #6.
- Operation PINK by Uttarakhand Police: A women’s safety initiative that trained over 15,000 schoolgirls in self-defense and cyber-awareness, and enhanced community patrolling. It significantly improved public confidence and contributed to Uttarakhand’s jump in the Police & Safety category, now ranked #6.
- Uttarakhand Cooperative Development Programme (UKCDP): A standout rural economy intervention that impacted over 5 lakh farmers by diversifying cooperative institutions into new business domains like Goat Valleys and Poultry Valleys, significantly reducing outmigration and creating decentralised local employment.
- Indigenous Breeds Conservation through Sexed Semen Technology: This project improved livestock productivity, reduced stray cattle populations and supported dairy-based livelihoods by enabling birth of over 74,000 female calves in a year and producing 1.7 million semen doses for nationwide distribution.
- Dumpsite Remediation & Compressed Biogas (CBG) Plant: A landmark project in sustainable waste processing, it remediated 1.2 lakh metric tons of legacy waste, established a modern engineered landfill, and achieved methane recovery rates exceeding 95%, creating jobs and reducing emissions.
- Naini-Saini Airport Upgradation (Pithoragarh): This strategically important infrastructure project has expanded air connectivity near the Indo-China border, facilitating pilgrim and defense movements and serving as a critical hub for medical and disaster relief operations under the UDAN scheme.
- Sainik Kalyan Evam Punarvas Programme: Reaching over 1.8 lakh ex-servicemen and dependents, this programme enhanced digital welfare access in remote locations via mobile camps, Aadhaar integration, and digital life certification, setting a standard for veterans’ welfare in difficult terrain.
- Baini Sena Haldwani Project (Solid Waste Management): A gender-inclusive urban sanitation model implemented through Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under DAY-NULM, this project achieved 100% waste collection efficiency and expanded women’s participation in urban governance while reducing financial burden on ULBs.
When viewed through the lens of the SKOCH State of Financial Prudence Index, Uttarakhand ranks in the mid-tier among Indian states. While its debt-to-GSDP ratio is relatively comfortable, its performance on revenue mobilisation remains weak. The state’s own tax and non-tax revenue contributions are limited, highlighting an over-reliance on central devolution—a concern echoed in the broader fiscal health assessments.
Compared to high-performing states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, or even neighboring Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand must enhance its fiscal autonomy to sustainably finance welfare and infrastructure initiatives. Boosting own-source revenues and rationalising expenditure patterns will be critical steps in this direction.
On the SKOCH State of e-Government Infrastructure Index, Uttarakhand’s performance reflects moderate digitisation but leaves scope for deeper integration of technology across government departments. While states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have surged ahead by embedding digital tools in land records, grievance redressal, and real-time data monitoring, Uttarakhand still relies heavily on conventional methods. To strengthen its position, the state should invest in robust back-end infrastructure, unified platforms for citizen services, and last-mile digital connectivity, especially in hilly and remote areas where service delivery remains fragmented.
The SKOCH State of Government Transformation Index for Uttarakhand shows strong potential, though it does not yet rank among the top states in this category. The improvements in Police & Safety (ranked #6 nationally), Education (ranked #1), and Municipal Governance reflect an appetite for institutional reform and impact-driven administration.
However, to match states like Odisha or Tamil Nadu in transformational governance, Uttarakhand will need to systematise innovation across departments and move towards process simplification, performance benchmarking, and data-driven policy feedback loops.
Efficiency-wise, Uttarakhand ranks moderately on the SKOCH State of Government Efficiency Index. This index is computed as a combination of its governance and finance scores, and while Uttarakhand has done well in the former, its fiscal constraints have limited its overall efficiency score. Compared to states like Gujarat or Maharashtra that have balanced high-quality governance with robust financial management, Uttarakhand needs to work on improving its capital expenditure efficiency and revenue buoyancy to ensure long-term administrative effectiveness.
In the final analysis, Uttarakhand’s rank of #7 in the SKOCH State of Development Index 2024 marks a significant shift in the state’s trajectory. This composite index, which integrates the performance across governance, e-governance, finance, transformation, and efficiency, places Uttarakhand in the upper tier of Indian states for the first time.
The path forward is clear: deepen decentralisation, invest in capacity-building at municipal levels, enhance fiscal self-reliance, and embrace digital transformation. With over 80 well-performing projects required to break into the top five, Uttarakhand is well-positioned, but strategic and sustained efforts will be essential to consolidate and build upon the gains made in 2024.
