By IANS
New Delhi : The central government Wednesday decided to grant 75 percent subsidy to Arunachal Pradesh to run helicopter services between Guwahati and Tawang, initially for a year.
The proposal, according to which the state government would be allowed to operate a MI 172 helicopter service, was approved at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Giving details, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told journalists that the central government would meet 75 percent of the actual cost of operation. The rest would be borne by the state government.
“The amount of subsidy, that is the actual cost of operating the helicopter service minus recovery from passengers, would be met on 75:25 basis. The overall ceiling of flying hours for the proposed helicopter service would be 52 hours a month,” Dasmunsi said.
Regarding the extension of subsidy beyond a year, Dasmunsi said the central government would look into such consideration only at the end of the first year of operation.
“We will first review the operating performance before extending subsidy beyond a year. The centre’s subsidy would facilitate extensive movement of tourists between Guwahati and Tawang,” the minister said.