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West Bengal Develops Four New Airports Under UDAN Scheme

Source:Indian Express ↗

Why It Matters

Important for candidates tracking infrastructure developments, central schemes like UDAN, and regional economic geography in West Bengal.

Summary

Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari announced plans to operationalize four new airports in West Bengal—Purulia, Balurghat, Hasimara, and Kalaikunda—under the Central government's UDAN regional connectivity scheme to enhance transport infrastructure and economic development in the state.

Key Points

  • Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari announced that four new airports in West Bengal—Purulia, Balurghat, Hasimara, and Kalaikunda—are being developed under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) regional connectivity scheme.
  • The inclusion of these airports aims to boost regional air connectivity, economic growth, and tourism in West Bengal.
  • The UDAN scheme focuses on operationalizing unserved and underserved airports across India to make flying affordable for the masses.

Important Terms

UDAN scheme

A flagship regional airport development and air travel accessibility programme launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to connect unserved and underserved regional airports across India.

UPSC context

Crucial for WBCS Paper III (Economy of West Bengal & India, Infrastructure, Government Policies & Interventions).

Source
Airports Authority of India

A statutory body under the Ministry of Civil Aviation responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining, and managing civil aviation infrastructure and air navigation services in India.

UPSC context

Important for WBCS General Studies papers dealing with public sector enterprises, transport infrastructure, and national statutory bodies.

Source
Ministry of Civil Aviation

The Union ministry responsible for formulating national policies and programs for the development and regulation of civil aviation, including regional schemes like UDAN.

UPSC context

Important for WBCS questions on central government ministries, administrative structure, and policy implementation in transport.

Source

Static Concepts Connected

Indian Polity & Government Schemes

What are the key objectives and funding mechanisms of the UDAN (RCS) scheme?

  • Launch Context: Launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to connect unserved and underserved regional airports.
  • Funding Mechanism: Provides Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to airlines to keep airfares affordable for common citizens.
  • State Role: State governments provide land, security, and fire services free of cost alongside GST concessions on ATF.

Cross-Topic Patterns

  • UDAN Scheme & Cooperative Federalism

    Central infrastructure schemes require state-level land acquisition and tax concessions, highlighting federal cooperative federalism dynamics in regional transport projects.

UDAN regional airports in WB (Purulia, Balurghat, Hasimara, Kalaikunda) likely to feature as a matching or direct Prelims question.

Linked PYQs · 2

Linked PYQs · 2

  • 2024WBCS_PRELIMSGS1

    Golden Quadrilateral is a

  • 2018WBCS_PRELIMSGS1

    'Dry Port' of West Bengal is located at