Uttarakhand’s GDP increases 1.3 times in 20 months

Uttarakhand’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) has increased by 1.3 times in the last 20 months, the state government said on Wednesday. New policies brought by the state government, amendments in the old ones besides employment and self-employment programmes underway have contributed to the GSDP growth, Secretary energy, housing and planning R Meenakshi Sundaram said at a press conference.

The per capita income of the state in 2021-22 was ₹2,05,000, which rose to ₹2,60,000 in 2023-24, he said, adding that the per capita income of the state increased by 26% in the last two years, which is better than the national average.

The per capita income at the national level has increased from ₹1,50,906 to ₹1,84,000 in two years, registering an increase of 20% during the period, he said.

According to the central government’s Periodic Labor Force Survey, the labor force participation rate in the age group of 15 to 29 in the state was 43.7% in 2022–23, which increased to 49% in 2023–24.

Similarly, the employment-population ratio of the state has increased from 37.5% to 44.2%.

The participation of women in the employment-population ratio has also increased from 26.1% to 32.4% in the age group of 15 to 29 and from 37% to 43.7% in the age group above 15, the official said.

The employment-population ratio of women has increased due to the promotion of Lakhpati Didi Yojana and women self-help groups in the state, he said.

According to the latest survey, the unemployment rate of the state was 14.2% in 2022–23, which came down to 9.8% in 2023–24.

The unemployment rate of the state decreased by 4.4% in one year. People in the state have got more employment in tourism, manufacturing sector and government jobs, he said.