Chief Minister Pema Khandu has said that the state has witnessed economic transformation over the past decade, with the Gross State Domestic Product recording a 166 percent increase between 2014 and 2024-25.
According to him, the number of Goods and Services Tax (GST) taxpayers has gone up by 141 percent since 2017-18, while per capita income has risen by 105 percent since 2016.
The state has also seen a 731 percent increase in GST collection since the implementation of GST in 2017-18. The state’s own resources have surged by 384 percent between 2014-15 and 2024-25, while budget allocations for the state have grown by 218 percent between 2015-16 and 2025-26.
The numbers certainly seem impressive, but how much of these figures have translated into real, on-the-ground impact is anyone’s guess. With rising unemployment and no structured support for young people to pursue self-employment opportunities, frustration is growing among the youth.
Add to that the abysmal condition of government health and education facilities and the lack of access to basic connectivity, and it’s clear that the state still has a long way to go if it truly is growing at the pace that is being claimed.