India Introduces New Aviation Bill Amid Opposition Concerns

The Lok Sabha introduced a new bill called the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak to modernize 90-year-old civil aviation regulations. Proposed by Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu, the bill faced opposition over its Hindi nomenclature. It aims to streamline aviation manufacturing and maintenance, supporting the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed the introduction of a new bill aimed at modernizing India's civil aviation regulations, replacing the 90-year-old Aircraft Act. Named the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, the bill was presented by Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu amid protests from a section of the opposition over its Hindi nomenclature.

Opposition figures, including RSP member N K Premachandran, expressed concerns that the bill's Hindi title would make it difficult for people from South India to understand its content. Naidu responded that such linguistic issues had been previously addressed during discussions on other recent legislations.

The minister highlighted that the outdated Aircraft Act had been amended 21 times over the past 90 years, necessitating an overhaul to remove ambiguities, enable ease of doing business, and support the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Provisions in the bill include regulating aircraft design and manufacturing, detaining aircraft, and issuing emergency directives.

(With inputs from agencies.)