Dehradun: The three-day Basantotsav held at Lok Bhavan concluded grandly on Sunday. Over the three days, a large number of people enjoyed the natural beauty of flowers and various cultural programs. This year, the running trophy of Basantotsav-2026 was awarded to IIT Roorkee.
IIT Roorkee secured first place by winning awards in 13 categories, while ONGC stood second with awards in 4 categories. A total of 161 awards were distributed across 54 sub-categories under 15 categories during the festival. The winners were honored by Lieutenant General Gurmeet Singh and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
For the first time this year, the Governor’s Award was introduced at Basantotsav-2026. Under this initiative, outstanding farmers, women farmers, and young farmers promoting innovation through startups were honored.
The closing ceremony was further enriched by melodious performances from the pipe bands of the Indian Military Academy and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, which captivated the audience.
Governor Gurmeet Singh stated that the smiles and satisfaction seen on the faces of nearly 350,000 visitors over three days were the biggest success of the event. He said the objective of Basantotsav-2026 was to spread the message of positivity, balance, and creativity through flowers.
Chief Minister Dhami said that Basantotsav is not merely an event but a celebration of Uttarakhand’s natural wealth, agricultural strength, and emerging green economy. He noted that commercial floriculture is currently being carried out on approximately 656 hectares in the state, providing higher income at lower costs.
The Chief Minister also mentioned that to increase farmers’ income, the state government has implemented schemes such as the Apple Policy, Kiwi Policy, State Millet Mission, and Dragon Fruit Policy, under which up to 80 percent subsidy is being provided to promote horticulture.
The event was attended by Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ganesh Joshi, MLA Khajan Das, MLA Savita Kapoor, First Lady Gurmeet Kaur, Chief Minister’s spouse Geeta Dhami, and several other dignitaries.
