NEW DELHI: The 90-year-old Aircraft Act, 1934, is now history with a contemporary Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak (BBV) 2024 being passed by the Rajya Sabha on Thursday after the Lok Sabha had cleared it this Aug. BBV 2024 aims to improve the ease of doing business in the aviation sector. The 1934-era Act had been amended 21 times.
Civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu said in Rajya Sabha Thursday the change in title of the bill from English to Hindi, which many members objected to, was done to “showcase India’s heritage and culture”, and “there was no violation of Constitutional rule.” It will be difficult to pronounce the name of the bill in Hindi initially but one will get used to it, he added.
BBV 2024 shelves the colonial legacy from one of the most modern and hi-tech sectors — aviation. The Aircraft Act 1934 had received the then Governor General’s assent on August 19, 1934, and has been amended several times over the years.
Responding to concerns of some MPs over rising airfares, the minister said the government has worked on improving accessibility to a certain extent through Udaan scheme and is committed to making it affordable for passengers.