With an aim to bring Uttar Pradesh’s aviation sector on the global map, the state government has approved the policy regarding development of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities of aircraft in the state.
The decision was taken in the Uttar Pradesh cabinet meeting held here on Tuesday. “There is a need to establish maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hubs in the state to create a conducive environment in view of the development and expansion in the civil aviation sector,” PWD Minister Jitin Prasada said while briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting.
He said that due to non-establishment of MRO hubs in India, aircraft are sent outside the country for repairs to places like Singapore and Dubai in which foreign exchange is spent on repairing aircraft while crucial time is also lost.
“There are huge possibilities of setting up MRO hubs in Uttar Pradesh. By the year 2026, about 1000 new aircraft are likely to be purchased in the country. Presently, minor repair works are done in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. With the promulgation of policy, MRO hubs will be established in the state and the government will earn revenue. A large number of jobs will also be created,” he said.
In another decision, the cabinet also approved the draft to sign an MoU with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Railways, and UP government for the construction of railway over bridges (ROBs) from the Central Road Infrastructure Fund.
“As per the draft, about 10 per cent (land acquisition and utility shifting) will be charged from the state government for the construction of bridges while the remaining expenditure will be borne by the Central government,” Prasada said.
The cabinet was informed that there are 3,165 level crossings in the state, of which ROBs are required at more than 300 crossings.
Plantation: The cabinet also approved a proposal to plant 35 crore saplings in 2022-23 in all the government departments of the state. The proposal to provide free saplings from nurseries was also approved.
Against the target of 35 crore saplings, 12.60 crore saplings will be planted by the Environment, Forest and Climate Change department while 22.40 crore by the state government and other departments.
“The aim of the plantation is to increase the forest cover, conservation and development of biodiversity and to make forestry a people’s movement,” Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh said.
Sprinkler Irrigation: The cabinet also proposed promotion of drip and sprinkler irrigation in the ‘Per Drop More Crop’ (Micro Irrigation) programme for five years starting from the financial year 2022-23.
“In order to make the drip and sprinkler irrigation system more acceptable, the government decided to provide 90 per cent subsidy for small farmers and 80 per cent subsidy for other farmers. This will motivate farmers to adopt this scheme,” Singh said.
The cabinet also approved expenditure of Rs 3,196.81 crore for free distribution of food grains, iodised salt, whole gram and refined soybean oil to the ‘Antyodaya’ and eligible household card-holders of the state. In its cabinet meeting of March 26, 2022, the government had decided to extend the free ration distribution facility from April to June.
The cabinet approved the proposal to allow allowance for home guards for training period equivalent to the allowance admissible on duty. Singh said the duty allowance of home guards is Rs 786 per day, whereas only Rs 260 per day training allowance is admissible to them when they are sent for training. “For this reason, it is difficult for the home guards to participate in the training with due diligence,” the minister said. The state cabinet also approved the proposal for the construction of Shringverpur Dham Nishadraj Park (Phase-1) in Prayagraj for which Rs 368.19 lakh have been approved. The Uttar Pradesh Project Corporation Limited has been designated as the executing agency for this project.
