Along with focusing on financial or digital inclusion, it is equally important to focus on regional inclusion considering all modes of transport, said an industry expert reacting to the new intra-state air services launched in the state.
The intra-state air services from Jaipur-Jodhpur-Udaipur was flagged off by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Tuesday. She said the initiative is expected to give a fillip to tourism sector in the state.
Raje said Bikaner and Kota too would soon be connected by air. She said besides the launch of intra-state air connectivity the state achieved another milestone a day before when Scoot Airlines services started direct flight from Jaipur to Singapore.
“These initiatives will prove far-reaching to promote tourism in the state, she said. If these newly launched services get sufficient air traffic, soon major airlines shall also show their interest in the expansion of air services,” she added.
Sharing his views on this, Udai S Mehta, Deputy Executive Director, CUTS International, told KNN, “Intra-state connectivity has always taken a backseat, while the interstate connectivity has been the main agenda. When on the one hand we are focusing on financial or digital inclusion, on the other it is equally important to focus on regional inclusion considering all modes of transport.”
Connecting the smaller dots is as essential as the bigger one, however, when one of the smaller dots is a tourist hub, it become even more critical, he added.
Rajasthan Government under the dynamic leadership of Raje, pushing for this is a welcome move for all stakeholders and CUTS congratulates the Government for this, he said.
However, what is further required is increasing the capacity, inducing more competition through predictable regulations and creating more dots to join. The stepping stone has been laid, time to step up the chase, Mehta said. (KNN Bureau)