Aviation Ministry, FICCI organized Stakeholder Evaluation Workshop on Krishi UDAN 2.0

New Delhi: Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India in collaboration with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry(FICCI) organised a stakeholder workshop for evaluation of Krishi UDAN 2.0. The conference brought together experts from Air Cargo Sector for highlighting the benefits of Krishi UDAN and how domestic air cargo players can work in convergence and creating a seamless transaction across the value chain.

The workshop was chaired by Shri Rajiv Bansal, Secretary,MoCA, and was moderated by Smt. Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary-MoCA. The Workshop was attended by Shri Piyush Srivastava, Senior Economic Advisor, MoCA, Shri Saurabh Endley, Joint Secretary- MoD North-eastern Region, Shri Ashutosh Dey, Joint Secretary, DONER, Shri Ajay Kumar, CEO, AAICLAS, senior dignitaries from MoCA, AAICLAS, FICCI, MoA&FW, Department of Fisheries, 26 Airport Directors (APDs) across the country and various other stakeholders of Indian Air Cargo Sector.

Highlighting the importance of workshop on Krishi UDAN, Shri Rajiv Bansal, Secretary, MoCA said, “Such workshop helps in having a meaningful discussion and act a brainstorming session for new ideas. During the 2 years of Covid-19 Pandemic, there was a great realisation that the cargo can play a major role in sustainable options of Airlines. Our country is a vast country which has diversified agriculture produce, and it is in the interest of the airline and the airport to facilitate the transportation of agricultural products which will lead in creating a sufficient demand for local producers in domestic as well as international market. We (MoCA) are willing to work on some pilot projects with the help of agricultural department and state governments regarding a transport subsidy scheme which will help in faster transportation.”

Smt Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, MoCA, made a presentation on "Krishi UDAN 2.0 Evaluation", highlighting the achievements, scope, impact on Agriculture industry and future of Krishi UDAN. Performance of the scheme with respect to various airports was also deliberated. It was also informed that 5 new airports namely Belagavi, Jharsuguda, Jabalpur, Darbhanga and Bhopal are to add to the list of existing 53 list of Krishi UDAN airports. With this, 58 airports would be actively participating in Krishi UDAN.

Another presentation on domestic and international cargo in India was made by Shri Ajay Kumar, CEO-AAICLAS, which highlighted the growth and impact of AAICLAS on the Agricultural industry and how AAICLAS is helping in Krishi UDAN.

A Q&A session was also held after the presentations where various industry players give their suggestions on how to make transportation of agricultural and perishable products better and timely.

Krishi UDAN Scheme 1.0 was launched in August 2020, on international and national routes to assist farmers in transporting agricultural products so that it improves their value realization. Improving the scheme further, Krishi UDAN 2.0 which was announced on 27 September 2021 will focus on transporting perishable food products from the hilly areas, north-eastern states, and tribal areas.