NE reaping benefits of Act East Policy: Minister

Imphal: Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Wednesday said Manipur and the northeastern region are reaping benefits of the Act East policy of the NDA government through ‘double efforts of the double engine government'.
Naidu also said his ministry implemented a dedicated scheme for air connectivity in the region under which the government providing viability gap funding to Alliance Air for connecting destinations in northeast.
The union minister was speaking at the launch of three new flights of the Alliance Air under the ministry of civil aviation, in a joint venture with the Manipur government.
The airlines will connect the Manipur capital Imphal with Kolkata, Guwahati, and Dimapur in Nagaland.
"Because of these new routes, I firmly believe Manipur will see a boost in trade, travel and tourism," Naidu said.
He appreciated Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh for his commitment to make these flights a reality.
"We are working together to bring Manipur closer to the rest of the country. I must say that with the double efforts of the double engine government, Manipur and the entire northeast is reaping the benefits of the Act East policy of the NDA government," he said.
In the last 10 years, the number of airports in the NE region has doubled from nine in 2014 to 19 now, the minister said.
"We are providing viability gap funding to Alliance Air for connecting destinations in the northeast region using ATR aircraft," Naidu said.
Since the launch of the Udaan scheme, 10 airports and two heliports have been operationalised in the region while 12 helicopter routes have also started functioning, he said.
"Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim which earlier lacked air connectivity are now successfully connected under Udaan. We have invested more than Rs 500 crore on the development of airports and heliports in the northeast under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Naidu said. PTI