Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday said committees are working on the sage soyare notification for Maratha quota and the state government will not fool any community, reported news agency PTI. The chief minister's statement has come even as Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange launched a fresh indefinite fast, his sixth in over a year, to press for the demand for reservation to Marathas under the OBC category. Jarange has been demanding the implementation of the draft notification that recognises Kunbis as 'sage soyare' (blood relatives) of Maratha community members and granting reservation to the latter under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. He has also said the government must consider the gazettes of Satara, Bombay and Hyderabad to provide reservations to the community. Shinde, who was in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for the Marathwada Liberation Day, said, "The state-appointed Justice Shinde committee has started working on the issue, and the Kunbi certificates are being given (to Marathas). This is a big success. We have also given 10 per cent reservation to Marathas without disturbing the quota for other communities," reported PTI. The committee headed by (retd) Justices Sandeep Shinde and Sunil Shukre are working on the 'sage soyare' notification and gazette issue, he said. "The government will not fool or mislead anyone. Whatever we give will be in the frame of law," he said, reported PTI. Shinde further said that the government has given a lot to the Maratha community. "After the government has cooperated so much, the Maratha community should also cooperate. Questions should also be posed to those (opposition parties) who were in power earlier. Our policy is clear that the Maratha community should be given justice, but injustice should not be done to any other community," the chief minister said, reported PTI. When asked about seat sharing of the Mahayuti constituents for the upcoming state elections, Shinde said the talks were underway. (With inputs from PTI)
17 September,2024 02:22 PM IST | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | mid-day online correspondentKarnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday alleged that Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, and BJP Karnataka President BY Vijayendra are trying to finish him off politically. "Union minister HD Kumaraswamy, former CM BS Yediyurappa, and BJP state President BY Vijayendra are trying to finish me off politically, but that's foolishness. They are trying to do to me what was done to Sangolli Rayanna, but they will not succeed," Siddaramaiah said while addressing a gathering at the Sangolli Rayana idol unveiling event here. Rayana was a 19th-century military leader in Sangolli who fought against the British. The Chief Minister said that there are still traitors in the country as there were during Rayanna's time. "The British came to India for trade, but they ruled our country for 200 years. They provoked Indians and looted our country. If our own people had not colluded with the British, they would not have been able to rule our country," he said. "Sangolli Rayanna escaped from the British and built his army. He fought against the British, but our own people betrayed him and handed him over to the British. There have always been traitors in our country, and there is still some today," he added. "Some forces are trying to conspire against me to bring me down. They are trying to silence me, but I will not be silenced," he said. "I have been in politics for 40 years, and I have never made a mistake. Why would I make a mistake now?" he added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 September,2024 01:29 PM IST | Karnataka | ANIAs Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrates his 74th birthday today, greetings from citizens and different political leaders pour out. President Droupadi Murmu wished Modi praising him for the developments and prestige he has brought to the country. "Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji on his birthday. On the strength of your personality and work, you have provided extraordinary leadership and increased the prosperity and prestige of the country,” the President said in a post on X प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी को जन्मदिवस की हार्दिक बधाई एवं शुभकामनाएं। आपने अपने व्यक्तित्व एवं कृतित्व के बल पर असाधारण नेतृत्व प्रदान किया है तथा देश की समृद्धि और प्रतिष्ठा में वृद्धि की है। मेरी कामना है कि आपके द्वारा राष्ट्र प्रथम की भावना से किए जा रहे अभिनव… — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 17, 2024 Union Home Minister, Amit Shah also wished the Prime Minister praising him for his vision for 'New India'. He later posted a video showcasing Modi's dedication to the country compiled with various photos from the past. Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh wishes Modi in hindi saying," Many congratulations and best wishes to the successful Prime Minister of India, Mr. @narendramodi on his birthday. Not only India but the whole world has seen and experienced his visionary and strong leadership. Modiji has led the country with full readiness, concentration and asceticism and is still doing so." with the hashtag #HappyBdayModiji Congress President Mallikarjun Kharg wished Modi good health and a long life. Best wishes to Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Ji on his birthday. May he be blessed with good health and long life.@narendramodi — Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) September 17, 2024 Similarly, chief ministers from different states have extended their warm birthday greetings to the Prime Minister on the Social Media platform X Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in his post called Modi a 'visionary of developed India' and praised Modi's concern for preserving Indian Heritage, "Happy birthday to the most popular politician of the world, the visionary of developed India, the successful Prime Minister of India Hon'ble Shri Narendrabhai Modiji." Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde also extended his wishes to PM Modi on behalf of all the people from Maharashtra देशाचे लोकप्रिय पंतप्रधान मा.श्री. @narendramodi जी यांना वाढदिवसा निमित्त महाराष्ट्राच्या तमाम जनतेच्या वतीने हार्दिक शुभेच्छा. #नरेंद्र_मोदी #NarendraModi pic.twitter.com/JZgw8ccoA1 — Eknath Shinde - एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) September 17, 2024 N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh hopes for the nation to continue to prosper under Modi's leadership while wishing Modi. "Wishing Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi Ji a very happy birthday. I pray for his good health and long life in service to the nation. May our nation continue to prosper under his visionary leadership" says Naidu. Chief Minister of Tripura Manik Saha wished Modi for his 74th birthday saying "Warm birthday wishes to the visionary leader & great son of Maa Bharati, Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji. Your vision for a stronger, prosperous India resonates in every heart. May your dynamic leadership & unwavering dedication continue to transform India and inspire generations!" M.K. Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu said in his post, "Warmest birthday wishes to Hon’ble Prime Minister Thiru @narendramodi. Wishing you a long life with enduring health in the years ahead."
17 September,2024 01:08 PM IST | Delhi | mid-day online correspondentAhead of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, Democratic Progressive Azad Party Chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the ten-year gap in election in Jammu and Kashmir has left the state far behind in development, reported news agency ANI. Speaking to ANI, Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "I strongly oppose the fact that elections were held after ten years. Till now there should have been two elections, one in 2019 and one now. Three elections were held for the Parliament and the no elections here left the state far behind," reported ANI. He further mentioned that the rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir have been left behind in terms of development. "Perhaps the ruling leaders would have seen only the hustle and bustle in the city, but our district Doda, district Ramban, district Kishtwar, or the far-flung areas in Kashmir have been left far behind," Ghulam Nabi Azad said, reported ANI. He recalled the developmental works done under his Chief Ministerial term. "In terms of development, I have built hundreds of schools and hospitals...They were built then and there were doctors and teachers in all of them," reported ANI. He went on to compare the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir with the time when he was the Chief Minister, saying there used to be twenty teachers in high schools but today there is only one teacher, where there used to be 15 doctors there are only two doctors. Earlier on Thursday, Ghulam Nabi Azad advocated for independent candidates contesting in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. Addressing a public rally in Anantnag, Azad appealed that all the independent candidates should be made successful in the polls. "Democracy means a system where everyone has the right to become Chief Minister. Some people from my party have left, but they are good people. I appeal that all independent candidates should be made successful," he said, reported ANI. Notably, the 2024 Assembly elections will mark the first local elections in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. Elections will be held in three phases in September and October - September 18, September 25, and October 1 and the counting of votes will take place on October 8. (With inputs from ANI)
17 September,2024 12:31 PM IST | Doda | mid-day online correspondentMaharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule has said the constituents of the Mahayuti alliance - Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP - have arrived at a consensus on contesting 70 to 80 per cent of the 288 seats for the Maharashtra assembly elections, reported news agency PTI. He hinted that winnability will be the criterion for distributing poll tickets. "The three leaders of Mahayuti (Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pwar) should be congratulated for vowing to win Maharashtra assembly elections unitedly instead of quoting numbers. We will agree upon fielding winnable candidates," the BJP leader told reporters in Nagpur on Monday, reported PTI. He was replying to a query on the NCP, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, purportedly staking claim to 70 to 80 seats. A consensus has been reached on 70 to 80 per cent of seats and Mahayuti leaders will soon address a joint press conference, he said. Bawankule asked Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange to respond to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks on "removing" reservation. "Rahul Gandhi is trying to remove the present reservations; what will happen to the Maratha quota? Jarange should respond to Rahul Gandhi's remarks," Bawankule told reporters, reported PTI. The BJP has accused the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha of making "anti-reservation" remarks during his visit to the US. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Monday asserted that the seat-sharing formula between the Mahayuti partners will be finalised soon. The Maharashtra assembly elections are likely to be held in November. In the current assembly, the BJP is the single largest party with 103 MLAs, followed by Shiv Sena 40, NCP 41, Congress 40, Shiv Sena (UBT) 15, NCP (SP) 13 and others 29. Some seats are vacant. BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule accuses MVA of deceptive politics in Maharashtra polls Earlier, Maharashtra BJP chairman Chandrashekhar Bawankule stated that opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders engaged in deceitful politics, akin to "Shakuni neeti," to mislead the state's people and win the Lok Sabha elections. He expressed confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would win the upcoming elections with its emphasis on development. Bawankule remarked that the MVA's triumph through misleading techniques will not influence people in the forthcoming elections. He emphasised that people will vote for development over casteism. (With inputs from PTI)
17 September,2024 11:46 AM IST | Nagpur | mid-day online correspondentAam Aadmi Party leader Atishi will be sworn in as the next Chief Minister of Delhi, party sources told news agency PTI. The decision was made after a legislative party meeting held on Tuesday. "The name of the new CM will be announced at 12 noon today after the legislative party meeting," a party functionary had previously told the news agency. This is breaking news, further details awaited
17 September,2024 11:42 AM IST | Delhi | mid-day online correspondentAccepting the bulk of the five-point charter of demand placed by the agitating junior doctors, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced her decision to transfer a section of Kolkata Police and the state health department top brass, including CP Vineet Goyal, from their respective positions, reported news agency PTI. Banerjee also announced the removal of the Director of Medical Education (DME) and the Director of Health Services (DHS) besides the Deputy Commissioner (North Division) who allegedly offered money to the parents of the Kolkata rape-murder victim. "We will announce the name of the new police commissioner after 4 pm on Tuesday after the scheduled hearing in Supreme Court gets over," West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said at the stroke of midnight after concluding her meeting with the agitating junior doctors at her Kalighat residence, barely hours ahead of the scheduled Supreme Court hearing on the RG Kar hospital matter, reported PTI. The decisions were formalised in the minutes of the meeting which was signed by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and countersigned by the delegation of 42 doctors who participated in the talks to end the RG Kar hospital deadlock. The agitating doctors are on 'cease work' across the state for 38 days since the gruesome alleged rape and murder of the postgraduate intern at RG Kar hospital came to light on August 9, crippling state-run healthcare delivery. "We have accepted almost all demands of the doctors. Keeping in mind the plight of the common people, we did the best we could. I now appeal to the doctors to return to work," Banerjee said, confirming no disciplinary action would be taken against the agitating doctors, reported PTI. Deeming the decisions as the state bowing its head before the pressure of a movement and a "victory of the masses", the doctors, however, said they would continue their protests till "the words get converted into concrete action", reported PTI. "We will decide on what our next step would be after the hearing at the Apex court and after we confirm the government issuing those transfer orders it has promised," announced Dr Debasish Halder, one of the leaders, from the sit-in before Swasthya Bhawan which is continuing for a week amid inclement weather, reported PTI. "While the CM has accepted our demand to remove the CP, DC (North), the DHS and DME, she is yet to agree on removing the principal secretary of the health department or the DC (Central). The discussions on the operating threat syndicate in hospitals and the thriving corruption racket remain incomplete. We only have verbal assurances on those matters so far. So our fight is far from over," added Dr Aniket Mahato, another leader, reported PTI. The signed minutes of the meeting documented a sanction of Rs 100 crore for infrastructure development in hospitals for doctors and rebuilding of patient welfare committees as more inclusive with stakeholders. To tackle safety-security measures in hospitals, a special task force headed by the chief secretary and having as members the home secretary, DGP, CP Kolkata and representatives of junior doctors, the minutes stated. It also documented the setting up of an "effective and responsive grievance redressal mechanism" in medical infrastructure across hospitals and colleges of the state. "Such measures are ineffective until a democratic work atmosphere returns to hospitals with simultaneous uprooting of threats and corruption nexus," an agitating doctor said, reported PTI. Early morning celebrations with protestors playing drums and blowing conch shells were witnessed at the Swasthya Bhawan agitation site. Earlier on Monday, talks between the state government and the agitating junior doctors began at around 6.50 pm after four unsuccessful previous bids to initiate a dialogue to resolve the deadlock. The meeting lasted for about two hours. It took another three hours to complete the process of finalising the minutes of the meeting in the presence of the state chief secretary. Previous attempts to resolve the issue got stuck due to the state government's rejection of the doctors' demand for live-streaming and video recordings of the meeting. The agitating medics later agreed to a compromise, now only asking to record the minutes of the meeting and receive a signed copy. The state government also allowed the two stenographers, accompanying the agitating doctors, inside the venue to record the minutes of the meeting. Meanwhile, the doctors continued their sit-in outside Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of the Health Department, for eight days and the 'cease work' for the 38th day seeking justice for the Kolkata rape-murder victim and demanding removal of top police and health officials. The talks fructified after the state government "for the fifth and the final time" invited the protesting doctors for talks to end the impasse, two days after the dialogue failed to take off over disagreement on live-streaming of the meeting, reported PTI. On Saturday, Banerjee made a surprise visit to the protest site and assured the doctors that their demands would be addressed. However, the proposed meeting fell through when the protesters claimed they were asked to leave "unceremoniously" after waiting for three hours at the gates of the CM's residence. In the Capital, senior doctors of RG Kar Medical College alleged tampering of evidence in the Kolkata rape-murder case, reported PTI. In a statement, the doctors demanded that they want authorities concerned, the CBI and the Supreme Court expedite the investigation process and punish the culprits without any delay. (With inputs from PTI)
17 September,2024 11:29 AM IST | Kolkata/New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentThe Manipur government has said that schools and colleges, which have remained closed due to the prevailing law and order situation, will reopen on Tuesday and normal classes will resume. Schools and colleges were closed on September 7 after rocket attacks killed one person and injured several others. The institutions continued to remain closed as students hit the streets demanding the return of peace to the ethnic strife-torn state. They clashed with security forces, prompting the imposition of curfew in several districts. Orders for the reopening of schools and colleges were issued by the Directorate of Education (Schools) and the Higher and Technical Education Department on Monday night. Meanwhile, the Manipur government relaxed curfew restrictions in Imphal East and West and Thoubal districts from 5 am to 6 pm on Tuesday to facilitate people to purchase essential items, including food and medicines. The relaxation, however, does not permit any gatherings, sit-ins or rallies. More than 200 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic strife between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kukis in Manipur since May last year. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 September,2024 11:22 AM IST | Imphal | PTIA suspected case of monkeypox infection has been reported from Malappuram district of Kerala after a man who recently returned from abroad showed symptoms of the disease. A district health official said that the patient arrived in Kerala a few days ago and, after falling sick, was first admitted to a private hospital. "From there he was admitted to the Manjeri Medical College. On suspecting that it might be a case of monkeypox, we sent his samples to the Kozhikode Medical College for testing. The results are awaited," the official said. A new case of monkeypox (Mpox) was reported last week from the national capital after a 26-year-old resident of Haryana's Hisar tested positive for the virus and was admitted to Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital. The Union Health Ministry had termed it an isolated case, similar to the earlier 30 cases reported in India from July 2022 onwards and said that it was not part of the current public health emergency reported by WHO which is regarding clade 1 of mpox, it underlined. The 26-year-old Hisar native tested positive for mpox virus of the West African clade-2, it had said. The World Health Organisation (WHO) last month declared mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for the second time in view of its prevalence and spread across many parts of Africa. Mpox infections are generally self-limiting, lasting between two and four weeks, and its patients usually recover with supportive medical care and management. It is transmitted through prolonged and close contact with an infected patient. It typically manifests itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications. The suspected monkeypox case in Kerala has been reported in the wake of containment zones being established in the Malappuram district after the recent death of a 24-year-old due to Nipah infection. The government on Sunday confirmed that the man who died on September 9, was infected with Nipah virus. A boy from Malappuram, who was undergoing treatment for Nipah infection, died on July 21. It was the first confirmed case of Nipah infection in the state this year. Nipah outbreaks have been reported in Kozhikode district in 2018, 2021 and 2023 and in Ernakulam district in 2019. The presence of Nipah virus antibodies had been detected in bats in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Idukki, Malappuram and Ernakulam districts. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 September,2024 11:17 AM IST | Malappuram | PTIThe Supreme Court on Tuesday commenced hearing a suo motu case related to the rape and murder of a postgraduate medic at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra is hearing the matter. On September 9, the top court had voiced concern over the absence of the "challan", a key document forwarding the body of the junior doctor who was raped and murdered at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata for postmortem, from the records presented before it and sought a report from the West Bengal government. On August 22, the apex court had tore into the Kolkata Police over the delay in registering the unnatural death of the woman doctor, who was raped and killed at the hospital, calling it "extremely disturbing", and questioned the sequence of events and the timing of its procedural formalities. The top court had earlier constituted a 10-member National Task Force (NTF) to formulate a protocol for ensuring the safety and security of doctors and other healthcare professionals. Terming the incident as "horrific", the apex court had excoriated the state government over the delay in filing the FIR and allowing thousands of people to vandalise the state-run facility. The rape and murder of the junior doctor in a seminar hall of the state-run hospital has sparked nationwide protests. The medic's body with severe injury marks was found on August 9. A civic volunteer was arrested by the Kolkata Police in connection with the case the following day. On August 13, the Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of the probe from the Kolkata Police to the CBI, which started its investigation on August 14. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 September,2024 11:17 AM IST | New Delhi | PTI
India’s aviation sector has witnessed remarkable growth in recent years, making air travel accessible to most people and leading to a broader inter-city network, thereby fueling economic growth. The domestic air traffic has surged in the country over the years. In the first six months of this year, 79.35 million passengers travelled by flight, which is a 4% increase from the corresponding period in 2023. It is also the highest-ever domestic passenger traffic for six months. Despite all these developments, the Indian aviation industry is facing several challenges, from financial crunch to flight delays, engine failures and lack of adequate staff. Financial woes Despite the growth in passenger traffic, many carriers are grappling with a severe financial crunch. Some of the reasons include high operational costs, intense competition, lack of profitable domestic routes and poor management. India’s aviation fuel taxes are among the highest in the world, about 30-40% higher than the global average. Also, the intense competition between low-cost carriers has forced them to slash the airfares. While this has benefited consumers, it has caused severe financial strain on airlines, making operations unsustainable. To add to it, many airlines in India have been plagued by poor financial planning and weak governance, leading to high debts, delayed payments of salaries and eventually bankruptcies, with Jet Airways being the prime example of this. The airline once boasted to be India’s premier carrier but was forced to cease operations owing to financial insolvency. Besides this, the traffic on the domestic routes often provides minimal profitability. While the government has mandated price caps on routes under the Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik, (UDAN) regional connectivity scheme, it limits the revenues airlines can generate on these routes. “Airlines need to survive the stiff competition. Currently, the scenario in the country is not viable. Although there is a surge in the number of fliers, the revenue generated from airfares alone cannot help airlines to sustain,” says Pranjal Mehra, an aviation sector expert from Delhi. “While the UDAN scheme is likely to benefit in the long run, currently, they are creating some challenges for the airlines. With high operation costs, the airlines need to find profitable routes to keep going. It’s all connected and sometimes a vicious circle: technical glitches such as engine failures lead to flight delays, which in turn also add to the operational costs,” he added. To add to this, the Indian aviation sector faces stiff competition from international carriers, particularly those from the Middle East and Southeast Asia as they have more modern fleets and better financial resources and can therefore offer competitive pricing along with better services. Traffic congestion and lack of runways While Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru are the country’s major international airports, they operate above their capacity, owing to fewer foreign airports in the country. This leads to delays in landing and takeoff. The capacity of India’s busiest airports has also failed to keep pace with the increasing number of aircraft movements, which again causes delays and also puts significant strain on air traffic control (ATC) systems in the country, said Mehra. “Apart from all these issues, most airlines have to send their aircraft abroad for heavy maintenance as India lacks major overhaul facilities. This not only increases operational costs but also adds to downtime,” he added. Policy issues While the government has taken steps to open up the aviation sector in India, the high taxation combined with various taxes and fees create issues for airlines and make India less competitive as a global aviation hub. There are also delays in obtaining approvals and clearances for starting new airports or expanding the existing ones. The delays in infra work can have a deep impact on the project costs. Staff shortage While careers in the airline industry were considered to be lucrative a decade ago, the outlook has changed drastically in the past few years, as pilots and the airline crew are overworked. The constant delays in salaries lead to a lack of motivation among the airline crew. “We were not paid for three months in a row in 2022. Last year too, our salaries did not come on time. During the pandemic, after the restrictions were lifted, we operated for months without salary and worked overtime because the airline I was employed with, wanted to make up for the losses incurred during the months the flights were non-operational. We have worked for 22 hours at a stretch on several days,” said Pankhuri Rawat, who was employed with a national carrier till six months ago. Aparajita Saini, another aviation sector expert, says one of the problems of the aviation sector is the lack of pilots as well as ground staff and engineers. ‘The lack of pilots has led to higher costs for airlines, as they often have to rely on expatriate pilots. This shortage also affects flight schedules and airline expansion plans,” she says. Apart from pilots, India also has inadequate ground staff. “While airlines focus heavily on hiring flight crew, they often ignore the need to hire ground staff, ATCs, and aircraft engineers. While lack of pilots plays a crucial role in flight delays, fewer ground staff can cause inefficiencies in operations,” she said. The path forward There is an urgent need for the government to expand and modernise airport infrastructure, particularly in major cities as well as build more tier-2 and tier-3 airports to promote regional connectivity. Bringing taxes in line with global standards is another step to make airline operations sustainable. Besides this, there is a crucial need to train pilots, engineers, ground staff, and air traffic controllers on an urgent basis to reduce the demand and supply ratio of these professionals. While the Indian aviation sector holds immense potential, it faces several hurdles to ensure smooth operations. If the sector is made lucrative, it will see a rise in the number of investors and thereby help in its growth.
17 September,2024 11:12 AM IST | Mumbai | Divya NairADVERTISEMENT
