Udaan Yojana (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik)
According to a recently released report, out of every 4 routes under the UDAAN scheme (Udaan Yojana), only 1 route is operational.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, 94 UDAAN (Yojana) routes have completed 3 years under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). At present only 22 of these routes are operational. Further, out of 948 requests assigned to airlines and helicopter operators, only 403 routes have been operationalised.
According to the ministry the following are the challenges in the implementation of the scheme:
- The airline business has gotten tougher now. It has more operating cost than profit.
- There is a lack of operational slots at the congested airports like Delhi and Mumbai.
- Smaller aircraft are not available.
- Maintenance issues also exist. Aircraft parts have to be bought from abroad.
- Due to paucity of funds and non-availability of land, there is delay in completing the development works of the airports.
About the “Udaan” scheme
- Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAAN) scheme was launched in the year 2016. It is also known as Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS).
- The objective of this scheme is to make air fare affordable, so that the general public can also travel in airplanes. In addition, it also focuses on improving air connectivity to Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
- Under this scheme, airlines are required to fix a per-seat fare for an hourly flight for 50 per cent of the seats in the aircraft. It can be up to a maximum of Rs 2,500. In return, they get viability gap funding i.e. subsidy from the government along with some other benefits.
Source – The Hindu
