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Employees’ interest to be safeguarded in AI divestment: Minister Raju (IANS Interview)

Published

7 years ago

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By Rohit Vaid
New Delhi, Sep 5 (IANS) Aiming to allay employee fears in the face of a possible divestment of Air India (AI), Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has said their interests would be “safeguarded”.

The government plans to address the concerns of the national airline’s employees and take some “key decisions” to set the ball rolling for the eventual stake sale in the airline.

“This has to be addressed and the (AI-specific) ‘Alternative Mechanism’ is going to address that. It has been set up to look at all angles (associated with) divestment. The employees’ interest is one of the most important aspects under consideration,” Raju told IANS in an interview at the Ministry of Civil Aviation offices here.

At present, Air India and its subsidiaries have nearly 20,000 employees with 11,500 being on the airline’s payroll.

A ministerial group on Alternative Mechanism was formed to look into the modalities of the national passenger carrier’s divestment process. It is headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The group has been mandated to guide the strategic divestment process and to decide on key issues such as treatment of AI’s debt and hiving-off of its assets.

On the overall progress of the divestment process, following a decision to appoint external advisers by the group, Raju said: “There are many decisions that are still to be made.”

“The Alternative Mechanism is working, but give it some time to come up with the decisions,” Raju said while hinting at the possibility of the ministerial group also reviewing existing holding requirements for foreign firms, which wish to invest in domestic airlines.

The minister acknowledged that two proposals evincing interest in Air India or its assets have been received by the ministry but a call on the (type of divestment and way ahead) would be taken by the group set up.

Following the Union Cabinet’s “in-principle” approval to divest the government’s stake in Air India, the ministry received two proposals, one each for the airline’s international operations and for its assets from Bird Group and IndiGo.

Currently, the airline has a massive debt burden of over Rs 50,000 crore.

In terms of aviation safety, Raju pointed out that “safety remains the pivotal focus” area of the ministry “which cannot be compromised”.

“DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) has a set frame of rules and regulations for these things. They conduct periodical checks on the engines and if these (engines) are not found to be fit, then the aircraft is grounded,” Raju said in a reply to developments surrounding the mid-air failure of some Pratt and Whitney (P&W) engines installed on A320neos in service with two major domestic carriers.

“We have a robust system of safety regulations. Passenger lives cannot be endangered. The safety concerns are being looked at and they cannot be compromised. Let us not talk about the number of aircraft in an airline’s fleet and the number of them being grounded. If there is a problem with an engine it will be dealt with,” he said.

The minister also said that civil aviation regulator DGCA and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) are working on framing rules and regulations on the usage of drones and unmanned aerial systems (UASs).

The minister said that a balanced policy is needed to address the safety issue and that the regulations should not become an impediment to use of drones and UASs for legitimate and humanitarian purposes.

“Legitimate activities should be allowed. A drone can even save lives, if used for humanitarian purposes (like in cases when a drone was used to deliver medical aid in Africa) — but we have to also remember that it can be used to deliver even a bomb and we don’t want that,” Raju quipped.

Recent incidents of drone flying near airports have raised safety and security concerns, as these could get sucked into an aircraft’s engines, potentially endangering lives.

(Rohit Vaid can be contacted at [email protected])

–IANS
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Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

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2 months ago

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September 19, 2024

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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.

The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.

Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.

For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.

During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.

Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.

Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .

Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.

In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.

He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.

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