New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday proposed a modified 'Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik' (UDAN) scheme to be launched to improve the regional connectivity in the country. The announcement was made by her in the Union Budget 2025 speech. She said the scheme would include 120 destinations in the country.
“The UDAN scheme has enabled 1.5 crore middle-class people to meet their aspirations for speedier travel. The scheme has connected 88 ports and airports and operationalised 698 routes,” she said.
The finance minister added that a modified UDAN scheme will be launched to enhance regional connectivity to 120 new destinations and carry 4 crore passengers in the next 10 years. She said the inspiration for this comes from the past successes of the scheme.
According to Sitharaman, the scheme would also support helipads and smaller airports in hilly aspirational and northeast regional districts. “Greenfield airports will be facilitated in Bihar. This will be in addition to expanding the capacity of Patna Airport and the Brownfield Airport in Bihta, Bihar.”
Background
The central government launched the UDAN scheme in 2016 to encourage indigenous and original equipment manufacturers in the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) industry. The Economic Survey 2024-25 shows that new airports and regional air connectivity have been greatly improved under the UDAN scheme.
Previously, 619 routes connecting 88 airports were launched under the UDAN scheme. These include two water airports and 13 heliports. The cargo handling capacity of airports is gradually increasing, reaching 8 million tonnes by FY2024. The Economic Survey said that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has planned a capital expenditure of over Rs 91,000 crore, including MRO, from FY2019-20 to FY2024-25.
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