The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Wednesday launched the Krishi Udaan 2.0 scheme for easing of the transportation of food products from hilly regions, north-eastern states as well as from the tribal areas.

The scheme was first announced by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her Budget speech on February 1, 2020.

The Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said, "The government is committed to doubling farmers' income. Doubling farmers' income doesn't mean only increasing the value in the market for the produce but it also means creating a paradigm shift for the farmers.”

"To penetrate deeper into the hinterland, to be able to provide value especially for perishable commodities, our ministry has embarked on Krishi Udaan 2.0 scheme," he added.

Under the scheme, the ministry has selected 53 airports which will be run majorly by the Airport Authority of India (AAI). The ministry would also set up terminals in Ranchi Bagdogra, Nagpur, Nashik, Leh, Srinagar, Raipur and Guwahati.

"We've identified Amritsar-Dubai for baby corn, Darbhanga-to all India for litchis, Sikkim-to all India for organic produce, Chennai-Vizag-Kolkata to far East for seafood, Agartala-Delhi-Dubai for pineapple, Dibrugarh-Delhi-Dubai for Mandarin oranges and Guwahati-Hong Kong for pulses and fruits," he said.

"Eight government ministries will work together on the 'Krishi Udaan Yojana'. We are committed to taking forward farmers in the value chain, increasing their income, and enabling them to take their produce, particularly perishable ones to the market in time," the Minister further added.

During the launch, the ministry also requested states to reduce the sales tax to 1 per cent on the Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) for airlines under the scheme.

Image Courtesy: Free press Journal