
Largely a hilly topography, Uttarakhand is relatively a new state formed in 2000. It has almost all agro-geo climatic zones, which provide commercial opportunities for floriculture and horticulture. The state is home to more than 175 species of rare medicinal, aromatic & herbal plants.
The presence of several hill stations, wildlife parks, pilgrimage places and trekking routes make Uttarakhand an attractive tourist destination. In 2017, domestic tourist arrivals in the state were 34.36 million and foreign tourist arrivals had crossed over 0.13 million. Uttarakhand is one of the fastest-growing states in India, thanks to the massive growth in capital investments arising from conducive industrial policy and generous tax benefits. The state currently produces about 3,750 MW hydropower, while it has the potential to generate over 18,000 MW. According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the cumulative FDI inflows, from April 2000 to June 2019, stood at around US$ 698 million.
As of November 2019, the state had total installed power generation capacity of 3487.97 MW.
A Mega Food Park has been set up in Haridwar under Mega Food Park scheme of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI). Also, Four Agri Export Zones (AEZs) have been declared under the AEZ scheme of Government of India for litchi, floriculture, herbs and medicinal plants and Basmati rice.
With the establishment of the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) earth station and other planned stations in Dehradun, Uttarakhand offers high-speed connectivity. Export of IT products reached $350 mn in 2015.
The state has three major pharmaceutical clusters with over 300 units having the expertise to manufacture an entire spectrum of pharmaceutical products. Aromatic plants like lemongrass, citronella, palmarosa, chamomilla, naramotha and Japanese mint that are used extensively in the cosmetics industry are grown here.
More than 1 million tourists visited Uttarakhand in 2015-16. Uttarakhand Tourism Policy, 2017 was launched in 2017, which aims setup new amusements parks and install new ropeways that would be exempt from payment of entertainment tax. To promote tourism and develop it as a major source of employment and revenue generation in the state.
Andhra Pradesh, the 10th most populated state in India, is home to about 4.1% of the country's total population. The state's population of 49.4 mn is equivalent to the population of Spain.