New Minister of State for Civil Aviation K.C. Venugopal appointed
New Delhi, Nov 2012
K.C. Venugopal has been appointed Minister of State for Civil Aviation. He will be working with Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh.
On his arrival at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan in New Delhi, he was received by the Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation K.N. Shrivastava and other senior officers of the Ministry and its attached offices.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Venugopal said, “Coordinated efforts by all stakeholders are needed to boost growth of the sector.” His new assignment comes at a time when the sector is hit by a slowdown.
The ministry is also trying to urge the petroleum ministry to put aviation turbine fuel (ATF), or jet fuel, on the notified product list so that its high prices can be brought down.
Currently, ATF sold in the country is nearly 50-60 percent costlier than in overseas markets like Bangkok, Singapore or Dubai, as an additional 4-34 percent state sales tax increases the prices.
Once listed as a notified product or a declared good, airlines will only have to pay a uniform sales tax of four percent. The oil ministry’s regulator will then be in a position to keep a check on prices.
Published by Aviation Cargo Express (EXIM – ACE)