Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said his government was committed to making women, youth and rural entrepreneurs self-reliant through training, financial assistance, technical guidance and better market access.
Speaking at the Chief Minister’s Udyamshala Chaupal-2026 at Mukhya Sevak Sadan, Dhami said more than 13,000 entrepreneurs had received support through the Chief Minister’s Udyamshala Yojana, while over 8,000 women entrepreneurs and Self-Help Group members had been connected with entrepreneurship and livelihood opportunities.
Dhami announced that a state-level marketing centre would be established at 13 Gaon in Dehradun’s IT Park to help market products made by Self-Help Groups from all 13 districts.
Focus on rural products and jobs
Dhami said more than five lakh rural women were part of over 70,000 Self-Help Groups under the National Rural Livelihood Mission, while more than three lakh women had become Lakhpati Didis.
He said women were turning hill spices, millets, pulses, honey, pickles, jams, handicrafts, woollen products and local art into businesses. The government is promoting these products through the House of Himalayas umbrella brand, along with rural haats, marketing centres, collection centres and agriculture service centres.
Dhami said strengthening rural entrepreneurship was also aimed at checking migration by creating employment and self-employment opportunities closer to home. The government is also using the Gramothan Project to connect extremely poor rural families with livelihoods.
{{/usCountry}}Dhami said strengthening rural entrepreneurship was also aimed at checking migration by creating employment and self-employment opportunities closer to home. The government is also using the Gramothan Project to connect extremely poor rural families with livelihoods.
{{/usCountry}}He said Udyamshala Chaupals were being organised across all 13 districts to improve awareness of government schemes, with publicity vans reaching villages.
The Chief Minister also felicitated Lakhpati Didis and women entrepreneurs and released a book and annual report of the Uttarakhand State Rural Livelihood Mission. Training modules on integrated agriculture clusters, infant and young child feeding, and anaemia prevention and management were also launched.