Rammohan assumes office, moots 100-day action plan

New Delhi: TDP Member of Parliament Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu assumed office as the minister for civil aviation here on Thursday. The 36-year-old three-time MP is the youngest Cabinet Minister in the Modi 3.0 government.

Speaking to media after taking charge, Rammohan Naidu said his ministry will shortly come out with a 100-day action plan and find ways to bring down prices of air tickets. He said one of his most important priorities would be to create an “ease of flying” scenario in civil aviation as air travel is becoming more and more approachable to the common man, and that has always been the motto of the NDA government.

To a question related to high air ticket prices, the minister said, “I am going to hold review meetings. Definitely, my intention would be to bring down the (ticket) prices because that is a challenge for the common man. Our intention is to take air travel to the common man, unless you make it affordable, it is not going to happen”.

He further said the ministry will prepare a 100-day action plan as suggested by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “He (Modi) has a grand vision for India, and we also have a vision for our civil aviation department and we are going to create a 100-day plan...we want to lay a strong foundation on the foundations that have been already laid by my previous ministers,” he noted.

He stressed that the focus of his ministry would be to make civil aviation or air travel in the country more accessible to the common man. The focus will also be on making air travel more convenient and comfortable for passengers. Naidu further said the regional connectivity scheme UDAN would be extended to more Tier II and Tier III cities. Besides, the DigiYatra facility will be made applicable to all airports.

To remarks by the opposition INDIA bloc regarding portfolio allocations to NDA partners, Rammohan Naidu said no NDA partner has said anything against the allocation of ministries. He said he was extremely happy to be given the responsibility of leading the civil aviation ministry and thanked TDP chief and AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for giving him the opportunity to join the Cabinet and Prime Minister Modi for allocating the portfolio.