UDAN SCHEME (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Govt Scheme)
Context: The Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel recently virtually inaugurated a UDAN flight connecting Dehradun and Pithoragarh from New Delhi.
UDAN Scheme (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik)
- About: UDAN is a regional connectivity scheme spearheaded by the Government of India (GoI).
- Launched: In 2017. The scheme is a component of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP), 2016.
- Ministry: Ministry of Civil Aviation
- Objective: To develop a regional aviation market. It seeks to connect under-served and unserved airports in India through the revival of existing airstrips and airports.
- Over the period of 6 years, various versions of UDAN Scheme were launched
oUDAN 1.0: 5 airlines companies were awarded 128 flight routes to 70 airports (including 36 newly made operational airports)
oUDAN 2.0: 73 underserved and unserved airports were announced and for the first time, helipads were also connected.
oUDAN 3.0: In coordination with the Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Routes were included. In addition to Seaplanes for connecting Water Aerodromes, several routes in the North-East Region came under the ambit of the scheme.
oUDAN 4.0: Gave impetus to North-Eastern Regions, Hilly States, and Islands. The operation of helicopters and seaplanes incorporated.
- Significance
oRCS-UDAN is contributing to the growth of the civil aviation industry as four new & successful airlines have come up in the last 6 years.
oThis initiative has successfully connected destinations such as Khajuraho, Deoghar, Amritsar, and Kishangarh (Ajmer), which have substantial relevance in religious tourism.
