Cargo policy in the works
India plans to construct 100 new airports with an investment of close to US$60 billion in next 10-15 years on a Public Private Partnership basis, said Civial Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu.
Supporting the large-scale development is India’s aviation sector’s double-digit growth for more than three years on the back of rising demand.
“We plan to put it in the public domain for anyone interested in building infrastructure or airports will get an advanced intimation on where it is going to happen… Our strategy is clear. We have to do it in a PPP mode. We need to have private sector participation,” Prabhu said
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) currently manages more than 120 aerodromes.
The minister also said the government’s cargo policy is being worked on, especially linking pre-determined tariff structure to inflation for greenfield airports.
Presently, the cost-plus tariff structure and rates for an airport are determined every five-year concession period.
India will have almost 520 million passengers a year travelling by airlines by 2037, according to the International Air Transport Association.
In 2017, India had 158 million air-travellers, up from 79 million in 2010.
Energy demand will also increase due to rapid development taking place in India, said Prabhu on 4 Sept 2018 in Delhi.
Speaking at a function of International Solar Alliance (ISA) Innovation and Investment Forum, he said the imbalanced use of energy is the root cause of many environmental problems in different parts of the world.
He assured India will generate 100 GW solar energy by 2022 for increasing share of carbon free energy in the energy mix.
Prabhu has also launched Coffee Connect, India coffee field force app and Coffee KrishiTharanga, digital mobile extension services for coffee stakeholders.
The mobile app Coffee Connect has been developed to ease the work of field functionaries and to improve the work efficiency.
This application provides solution by harnessing the power of mobility comprising the latest technology in easing the whole process of the field activities like digitization of Coffee Growers & Estates with Geo Tagging, collecting the Plantation details.
It will also help in transparency in the activities of the extension officers and officials, transparency in subsidy disbursement and real time report generation.
The Coffee KrishiTharanga services are aimed at providing customized information and services to increase productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability. fiinews.com
