India’s first-ever helicopter summit held in Dehradun

Union Ministry of Civil Aviation organised country’s first ever helicopter summit at Sahastradhara helidrome in Dehradun, capital of Uttarakhand. The summit was based on theme of expanding connectivity through helicopters.

Key Highlights of Summit

Organiser: The first-of-its-kind conclave, a Helicopter Summit- 2019 was organised jointly by Civil Aviation Ministry, Uttarakhand government and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FICCI).

Indian Air Force (IAF) was also invited at the summit to talk on ‘Role of IAF helicopters in MEDEVAC i.e. medical evacuation at National level‘.

Participants: The conclave was attended by Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat, Aviation Secretary P S Kharola, Joint Secretary in Aviation Ministry Usha Padhee, officials of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), state’s Chief Secretary and officials from all Indian helicopter operators were present.

Incentives announced: Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat announced that aviation firms offering helicopter services in areas identified under UDAN Yojana (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), a Regional Connectivity Scheme will get an additional subsidy from Uttarakhand government in addition to the subsidy given by the Centre.

Significance: Considering geographical situation of Uttarakhand, helicopter services are very important for state as it may take up to 20 hours to reach border areas. As border areas of Uttarakhand were endowed with great scenic beauty the helicopter services will also make it easier for filmmakers to shoot their films in picturesque locations of state, which has emerged as one of country’s finest film shooting destinations in recent years.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2019