According to Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who spoke on Tuesday at the Civil Aviation Minister's Conference, all new national roads being built in the nation would have helipads beside them for quick evacuation during crises.
The Minister asked the governments of Assam, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Punjab to lower the VAT on ATF to support the expansion of the civil aviation industry in those states
In exchange for lowering the VAT on ATF, Scindia committed to improving air connectivity in these eight states. “We had talks with the Ministry of Road Transport that all the new highways should have helipads along them so that infrastructure is in place. Helipads on national highways will help in immediate evacuations during emergencies,” Jyotiraditya Scindia said during the event.
“I urge you (eight states) politely to reduce VAT on ATF. I promise you to increase the aeroplane connectivity in your states,” Scindia spoke at the conference's closing session, which lasted two days and brought together civil aviation ministers from every state and union territory.
Both Scindia and Gen (Retd) V K Singh, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, advocated for installing helipads in each district. They were addressed yesterday in the nation's capital at the Civil Aviation Ministers' Conference.
According to reports from PTI, the government has also chosen to launch "Project Sanjeevani," which will deploy a helicopter in the coming weeks to offer emergency medical services at AIIMS Rishikesh.
