Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami introduced the Uttarakhand Science, Technology and Innovation Policy-2026 on June 10, describing it as a landmark initiative aimed toward reworking the state right into a knowledge-driven, research-oriented and innovation-led economic system. He emphasised that the coverage’s objective is just not solely to develop science and expertise however to combine them with sectors resembling governance, catastrophe administration, schooling, agriculture, healthcare and employment technology.
The coverage is designed to supply a typical platform for youth, researchers, startups, scientists and grassroots innovators, accelerating the state’s imaginative and prescient of turning into self-reliant and developed by merging conventional information with trendy expertise. Following the Chief Minister’s announcement, the Department of Information Technology, Good Governance, and Science & Technology formally launched the coverage, which goals to advertise science and technology-led growth and set up Uttarakhand as a major hub for science, expertise and info expertise.
The coverage focuses on encouraging analysis, innovation and scientific pondering, and selling the efficient use of science and expertise to deal with native wants and challenges. It targets sustainable growth by balancing financial development, social inclusion and environmental sustainability. A state-level advisory physique will oversee implementation, monitoring and analysis, supported by a decentralised institutional framework to reinforce analysis and innovation actions throughout Uttarakhand.
To strengthen collaboration, the coverage will set up complete cooperative mechanisms amongst stakeholders on the state, regional and nationwide ranges. A State-Level Coordination Committee will facilitate the creation of Science, Technology and Innovation models inside authorities departments, public sector undertakings, non-public firms and startups. It additionally ensures stakeholders’ quick access to scientific info and knowledge from publicly funded analysis, which shall be digitally archived and securely accessible.
Researchers and establishments may have entry to scientific journals and archives through the Government of India’s “One Nation, One Subscription” programme. The coverage underscores the indigenisation and localisation of expertise to grasp the imaginative and prescient of “Atmanirbhar Uttarakhand,” selling native technological options that tackle the state’s particular challenges whereas integrating conventional information with trendy innovation.
Education in science, expertise and innovation shall be strengthened by infrastructure growth in instructional establishments and capacity-building programmes for college students, researchers and lecturers. Consistent with the National Education Policy, Teaching-Learning Centres shall be established to reinforce educators’ expertise and capabilities.
Efforts to advertise science communication and public engagement embody plans to ascertain Science Cities, Science Centres, Planetariums, Atal Tinkering Labs, Artificial Intelligence Laboratories, Astronomy Observation Associations and Centres of Excellence all through the state.
The coverage prioritises rising applied sciences resembling Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Robotics, Drones, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality. It additionally encourages analysis and growth in house expertise, biotechnology, nanotechnology, digital applied sciences, food-water-energy safety and catastrophe administration.
To foster collaboration amongst grassroots innovators, scientists and technical consultants, the coverage proposes workshops, joint analysis tasks, fellowships and scholarships, together with the creation of a devoted engagement portal for the state’s scientific group.
Additionally, a Science, Technology and Innovation Observatory shall be established in Uttarakhand as a central digital repository for info on all schemes, programmes, grants and incentives. Online studying platforms will assist analysis and innovation, and help shall be supplied to innovators concerning patents, copyrights, mental property rights and associated authorized processes.
Expected to behave as a significant catalyst for science-led growth, the coverage goals to reinforce analysis, innovation and technological self-reliance, contributing considerably to the creation of a developed and empowered Uttarakhand.
The Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST) is the nodal company for science promotion within the state. UCOST Director General Prof. Durgesh Pant highlighted the challenges Uttarakhand faces, together with pure disasters, local weather change and rising pressures on the Himalayan ecosystem. He acknowledged that the coverage will strengthen coordination amongst science and expertise establishments, analysis organisations, academia, industries and innovators to deal with these points successfully.
Prof. Pant added, “The policy will ensure inclusive and equitable participation in science and innovation by providing equal opportunities to women, residents of rural and remote areas, marginalised communities and persons with disabilities.”