Situated at the foothills of the Himalayan mountain ranges, Uttarakhand was carved out of northern Uttar Pradesh on 9 November 2000. Out of a geographical area spread over 53,483 sq km, 86 per cent is covered by hilly terrain. The population of the state as per Census 2001 stands at 84.8 lakh. Around 43 per cent of the state's GDP comes from the services sector, the agricultural and industrial sectors contribute 33 per cent and 24 per cent respectively.

The state has excellent potential for hydropower generation due to a large network of rivers prominent among which are Ganga, Yamuna and Bhagirathi. At an altitude of 261 metres, Tehri dam on the river Bhagirathi is the eighth tallest dam in the world.

The peculiarities of Uttarakhand's terrain pose challenges to its development and limits its growth potential to agro-based and forest-based industries. About 90 per cent of the population depends on agriculture for its livelihood. The principal crops cultivated here are wheat, rice and sugarcane. It is also a major producer of horticulture crops such as apples, lychees and oranges.

Tourism is the key driver of the economy, and religious tourism is an important component. For adventure lovers, it is a destination for mountaineering, hiking and rock climbing.

The monthly review of the Uttarakhand economy provides detailed information on current economic trends across all important sectors of the state. The sectors covered in the review are :-

• Agriculture
• Infrastructure - Roads
• Power
• Investments

The Monthly Review of the Uttarakhand economy is part of the State Analysis Service.