Modi 2.0 to raise UDAN budget for common man

TIL Desk/Business/New Delhi/ Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi, who will be sworn in on Thursday for a second term in office, is set to give wings to the dream of millions by raising the budget for UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) substantially for the next 10 years.

The Civil Aviation Ministry has prepared the proposal seeking additional funds for the Centre’s flagship scheme. “The additional fund requirement is to bridge the deficit expected in executing the UDAN scheme. It is being submitted for approval of the competent authority,” an official told.

Assuming that operations begin on all the routes where a contract has been awarded for providing regional connectivity, the available funds would not be enough. An Airports Authority of India (AAI) team implementing the UDAN scheme has estimated the total subsidy of about Rs 1,800-2,000 crore annually if all 688 routes awarded so far become operational.