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TARGET IS TO CREATE 220 NEW AIRPORTS BY 2025: SCINDIA

Highlighting that the civil aviation industry has become a key element of India’s economy, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday said that the Government has set a target of creating 220 new airports by 2025. Replying to the demands for grants of the Ministry of Civil Aviation for 2022-23, Scindia said that India […]

Highlighting that the civil aviation industry has become a key element of India’s economy, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday said that the Government has set a target of creating 220 new airports by 2025. Replying to the demands for grants of the Ministry of Civil Aviation for 2022-23, Scindia said that India had moved forward in domestic and international travel during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Cargo flights for perishable food items will be increased to 30% with 133 new flights in the coming years,” he said. Scindia said the simplification of pilot licence will be done in the coming days with the latest technology. He said that the Government plans to create 33 new domestic cargo terminals, set up 15 new flight training schools for pilots, create more jobs, and increase focus on the drone sector. “With this, Government has set a target of creating 220 new airports by 2025,” he said.

The minister informed the House that 3.82 lakh passengers per day undertook air travel in the last seven days. He informed the House that the Ministry is targeting to triple the passenger throughput from 34.5 crore in 2018-19 to 40 crore in 2023-24. Scindia said 90 flights sent to five countries evacuated students from Ukraine.

Scindia thanked the Indian Air Force which conducted 14 sorties and operated 4-C17 Globe Masters during the evacuation. The minister informed the House that 15% of the total pilot strength in the country are women. Speaking in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Scindia said, “In all other countries in the world, only 5% of the pilots are female. In India, over 15% of pilots are female. This is another example of women empowerment. There has been a lot of changes in the aviation industry in the last 20-25 years.” “Earlier only big cities had airports. Today that has changed completely. This is the reason why the Civil Aviation industry has become a key element of India’s economy. The amount of employment generated in the industry is massive,” Scindia said.

Scindia justified the government’s decision to disinvest Air India, and told the Lok Sabha that “the UPA government is responsible for the plight of the national carrier, one of the country’s Navratnas.”

Responding to the debate on the Demands for Grants of the Civil Aviation Ministry in Lok Sabha, Scindia hit out at the previous Manmohan Singh-led UPA government which was in power at the Centre till 2014. “After the purchase of 111 aircraft during the UPA government and the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines, the condition of Air India went on deteriorating,” he said. Scindia, who was earlier in the Congress, slammed the “wrong decisions” of his former party in the presence of interim president Sonia Gandhi and said the financial condition of Air India continued to deteriorate while the “losses kept on increasing”. “Due to the wrong decisions taken during the UPA government, the financial condition of Air India continued to deteriorate, the losses kept increasing. Air India, which was in profit of 14-15 crore in 2005-06, had to face a loss of 85 thousand crores in the next 14 years,” the Union Minister said. Amidst protests by Sonia Gandhi and an uproar by Congress MPs, the Aviation Minister said: “I was silent about this, did not want to say anything but you want to speak about truth… so now can hear the truth.” Scindia also clarified on the several members who had raised the questions about future of Air India employees.

“As per the agreement of disinvestment with Tata on Air India….. the employees cannot be fired and if he wants to remove someone after one year, then that too can be done only through VRS scheme, the government is committed to providing medical facilities to Air India employees on the basis of CGHS and NHA,” he said.

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