Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Through a modified UDAN Scheme, the Centre envisages support to helipads and smaller airports in hilly, aspirational and North East (NE) region districts in the near future.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the central government has announced the launch of a modified UDAN Scheme to increase regional connectivity to 120 new destinations across the country, to cater to 4 crore passengers over the next 10 years. The scheme will also support helipads and smaller airports in hilly, aspirational and North East region districts. The scheme is presently at the formulation stage.
The information on modification of the Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) Scheme was submitted before the Rajya Sabha by the Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Thursday.
Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol said in his statement, “During the second round of bidding under the RCS-UDAN scheme and subsequent rounds, various helipads were identified, and helicopter routes were awarded to operators to provide connectivity to hilly terrains and far-flung areas. A total of 80 RCS helicopter routes have been operationalised, connecting 15 heliports across eight priority states, namely Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand.”
The information was provided by the Union Minister while replying to a question raised in the Rajya Sabha by MP Vijaylakshmi Devi. She had questioned, “Will the Minister of Civil Aviation be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government proposes to set up helicopter corridors to start helicopter services from all States across the country and if so, the details thereof, and (b) whether any timeline has been fixed for completion of this action plan and if so, the details thereof?”
In reply to her question, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol provided the required information on connecting hilly, aspirational and NE region districts.
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