NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday decided to roll out measures to expand regional air connectivity and modernise immigration system across the country’s entry points with a combined financial outlay of Rs 30,640 crore.
It has also announced a policy decision with regard to meeting the country’s climate commitments.
Announcing the decisions taken during the meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “These decisions will strengthen infrastructure, improve ease of travel and support long-term economic growth.”
Vaishnaw said that out of the combined outlay, a major component of Rs 28,840 crore has been earmarked for the modified UDAN scheme under which 100 new airports will be built in 'challenge mode' with an average cost of Rs 100 crore for each of them, with a budgetary support of Rs 12,159 crore.
It is also to be noted here that, as part of the modified UDAN scheme, projects to improve last-mile connectivity, especially in difficult terrains, 200 modern helipads would be constructed with a budgetary support of Rs 3,661 crore.
Helicopter services are expected to significantly enhance connectivity in the Himalayan region, North-East, island territories and aspirational districts, the minister said, adding that it also includes Rs 400 crore for the acquisition of Made-in-India aircraft, supporting domestic manufacturing in the aviation sector.
More to these, under the modified UDAN scheme, the Centre will provide viability gap funding (VGF) support of 80–90 per cent to airlines, which will be gradually reduced over a span of five years, with a budgetary allocation of Rs 10,043 crore.
“To address operational challenges, the Cabinet has approved three-year operations and maintenance (O&M) support for Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) airports, capped at Rs 3 crore annually per airport and Rs 90 lakh for helipads, with a total outlay of Rs 2,577 crore,” the minister said.
"Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet also approved the continuation of the Immigration, Visa, Foreigners Registration and Tracking (IVFRT) scheme with an outlay of Rs 1,800 crore for the period from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2031," he added.
"The IVFRT 3.0 programme aims to transform India’s immigration and visa ecosystem through next-generation technologies such as AI/ML tools, iris scanning, biometric authentication and AI-enabled cameras," Vaishnaw said, adding that the Centre would also introduce mobile-based services and self-service kiosks at immigration checkpoints.
In a statement, the government said the scheme focuses on three pillars, including emerging technology innovations, transformation of core infrastructure and technology & service optimisation, which will include upgrading data centres, strengthening systems at immigration check posts and FRROs and implementing integrated command and control centres.
Officials said the initiative will further reduce visa processing time, enhance real-time data sharing across agencies and improve passenger clearance efficiency while strengthening national security.
In a key policy decision, the Union Cabinet also approved India’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets for the period between 2031 and 2035 under the Paris Agreement.
The minister said that the country aims to reduce the emissions intensity of GDP by 47 per cent by 2035 compared to 2005 levels. It also plans to achieve 60 per cent of cumulative installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2035.
As part of the fresh policy push, the country has set a target to create a carbon sink of 3.5–4.0 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent through forest and tree cover.