UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria showcased Chandigarh’s achievements in education, healthcare, sports, sustainability and urban governance during the 11th meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday.
In his address, the Administrator said Chandigarh had been declared a fully literate UT with a literacy rate of 99.93%. He noted that the Class X pass percentage improved to 88.25, while 475 students scored above 90% marks in the academic session 2025-26.
Kataria highlighted initiatives such as Project Udaan and Shikhar-26 for free JEE and NEET coaching, expansion of skill education in government schools and implementation of future-ready courses in Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, cyber security and data analytics. He informed that Chandigarh’s gross enrolment ratio in higher education stood at 64.8%, well above the national average.
In healthcare, he spoke about the Project SARATHI, under which over 2,671 NSS volunteers are assisting patients in major government hospitals. The model has now been adopted by more than 1,400 hospitals across the country.
On sustainability initiatives, Kataria said Chandigarh ranked 8th in the Swachh Vayu Survey-2025, all government buildings had been solarised and the city was honoured with the National Energy Conservation Award-2025. He also noted that Chandigarh became the country’s first UT with 100% privatisation of electricity distribution and strengthened clean mobility through the induction of electric buses.
The Administrator also highlighted Chandigarh’s achievement of becoming India’s first slum-free city through extensive rehabilitation measures and emphasised the Administration’s continued focus on citizen-centric governance and progressive urban development initiatives. He reaffirmed the Administration’s commitment towards inclusive development, human capital enhancement and the national vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.
