Firstpost
  • Home
  • Video Shows
    Vantage Firstpost America Firstpost Africa First Sports
  • World
    US News
  • Explainers
  • News
    India Opinion Cricket Tech Entertainment Sports Health Photostories
  • Asia Cup 2025
Apple Incorporated Modi ji Justin Trudeau Trending

Sections

  • Home
  • Live TV
  • Videos
  • Shows
  • World
  • India
  • Explainers
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Cricket
  • Health
  • Tech/Auto
  • Entertainment
  • Web Stories
  • Business
  • Impact Shorts

Shows

  • Vantage
  • Firstpost America
  • Firstpost Africa
  • First Sports
  • Fast and Factual
  • Between The Lines
  • Flashback
  • Live TV

Events

  • Raisina Dialogue
  • Independence Day
  • Champions Trophy
  • Delhi Elections 2025
  • Budget 2025
  • US Elections 2024
  • Firstpost Defence Summit
Trending:
  • Charlie Kirk shot dead
  • Nepal protests
  • Russia-Poland tension
  • Israeli strikes in Qatar
  • Larry Ellison
  • Apple event
  • Sunjay Kapur inheritance row
fp-logo
Maharashtra to be first state to begin Centre's regional connectivity scheme
Whatsapp Facebook Twitter
Whatsapp Facebook Twitter
Apple Incorporated Modi ji Justin Trudeau Trending

Sections

  • Home
  • Live TV
  • Videos
  • Shows
  • World
  • India
  • Explainers
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Cricket
  • Health
  • Tech/Auto
  • Entertainment
  • Web Stories
  • Business
  • Impact Shorts

Shows

  • Vantage
  • Firstpost America
  • Firstpost Africa
  • First Sports
  • Fast and Factual
  • Between The Lines
  • Flashback
  • Live TV

Events

  • Raisina Dialogue
  • Independence Day
  • Champions Trophy
  • Delhi Elections 2025
  • Budget 2025
  • US Elections 2024
  • Firstpost Defence Summit
  • Home
  • Mumbai
  • Maharashtra to be first state to begin Centre's regional connectivity scheme

Maharashtra to be first state to begin Centre's regional connectivity scheme

Press Trust of India • August 23, 2016, 18:38:13 IST
Whatsapp Facebook Twitter

The Centre’s regional connectivity scheme (RCS) moved closer to reality with the aviation ministry set to sign an agreement with Maharashtra government.

Advertisement
Subscribe Join Us
Add as a preferred source on Google
Prefer
Firstpost
On
Google
Maharashtra to be first state to begin Centre's regional connectivity scheme

Mumbai: The Centre’s regional connectivity scheme (RCS) moved closer to reality with the aviation ministry set to sign an agreement with Maharashtra government on Tuesday under which almost eight airports in the state will be connected. “I will be meeting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis later in the day today and sign the regional connectivity scheme (RCS) agreement. Almost all other states are also interested in the RCS,” Civil Aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju told a select group of reporters here in his first media interaction with the Mumbai press. [caption id=“attachment_2972588” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju. Reuters Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju. Reuters[/caption] Under RCS, the Centre and the state will develop the Airports Authority-owned existing air strips in Solapur, Kolhapur, Jalgaon, Gondia, Akhola and Juhu and also the state government-owned ones in Nanded and Shirdi, Raju said. However, the minister parried a question on the deadline for operationalising these airports, saying, “I don’t set deadlines nor do I work under deadlines. But let’s assume at the earliest.” “When we announced the RCS, we were speaking about a wish-list. This agreement is the first step to convert that wish-list into a work-list and then a reality,” he said. Exuding confidence that the plan will take wings sooner, he said, “A magazine has referred to me as a flightless bird. But I don’t want to be flightless bird forever.” Stating that the country has become the fastest growing aviation market in the world with over 20 percent domestic traffic growth each month for the past several months, he said the RCS will help sustain the high growth trajectory, adding, “the new civil aviation policy cleared by the Cabinet on June 15 aims to take flying to the masses.” Under the RCS, the Centre will subsidise 80 per cent of the cost, while the states will meet the rest under the viability gap fund (VGF) envisaged. In the case of the Northeastern states, the central subsidy will be 90 percent, the minister said. The RCS stipulates that the air tickets under a one-hour flight will be capped at Rs 2,500, and the VGF will take care of the rest of the operational cost. Raju said the ministry hopes to meet its funding need from the Rs 500-crore estimated to be mopped up from the aircraft levy that will be passed onto other flayers. “States will have to take some haircuts in the form of free land, security, fire services, water etc, while the Centre will have to forego excise duty on ATF and service tax on tickets,” Raju said, adding that VGF and handholding cannot be for eternity but is capped for the first three years. “We want to ensure that the airlines operating on regional routes are economically viable and therefor is the VGF, the haircuts on our side,” the minister said. Whether any airline has signed on for RCS, he said everybody is interested but nobody has come forward. On whether he will push the already troubled Air India or its subsidiary Alliance Air to operate on these routes, he said, “I want everyone on board, including Air India.”

Tags
India NewsTracker Mumbai Maharashtra Civil Aviation Minister Airports Devendra Fadnavis RCS Regional Connectivity Scheme
End of Article
Latest News
Find us on YouTube
Subscribe
End of Article

Top Stories

Charlie Kirk, shot dead in Utah, once said gun deaths are 'worth it' to save Second Amendment

Charlie Kirk, shot dead in Utah, once said gun deaths are 'worth it' to save Second Amendment

From governance to tourism, how Gen-Z protests have damaged Nepal

From governance to tourism, how Gen-Z protests have damaged Nepal

Did Russia deliberately send drones into Poland’s airspace?

Did Russia deliberately send drones into Poland’s airspace?

Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages: Qatar PM after Doha strike

Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages: Qatar PM after Doha strike

Charlie Kirk, shot dead in Utah, once said gun deaths are 'worth it' to save Second Amendment

Charlie Kirk, shot dead in Utah, once said gun deaths are 'worth it' to save Second Amendment

From governance to tourism, how Gen-Z protests have damaged Nepal

From governance to tourism, how Gen-Z protests have damaged Nepal

Did Russia deliberately send drones into Poland’s airspace?

Did Russia deliberately send drones into Poland’s airspace?

Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages: Qatar PM after Doha strike

Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages: Qatar PM after Doha strike

Top Shows

Vantage Firstpost America Firstpost Africa First Sports

QUICK LINKS

  • Mumbai Rains
Latest News About Firstpost
Most Searched Categories
  • Web Stories
  • World
  • India
  • Explainers
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Cricket
  • Tech/Auto
  • Entertainment
  • IPL 2025
NETWORK18 SITES
  • News18
  • Money Control
  • CNBC TV18
  • Forbes India
  • Advertise with us
  • Sitemap
Firstpost Logo

is on YouTube

Subscribe Now

Copyright @ 2024. Firstpost - All Rights Reserved

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Terms Of Use
Home Video Shorts Live TV