Union MoS for culture, tourism and civil aviation Mahesh Sharma explains the delay in formulating civil aviation policy, says the PM is right in claiming India has a lot to be proud of now, and argues achhe din can’t be measured by one yardstick. This session was moderated by Maneesh Chhibber
The first-time MP, Mahesh Sharma, Union MoS for culture, tourism and civil aviation was not only given independent charge of two crucial portfolios in the NDA government, but prime minister Narendra Modi has also entrusted him with looking after his own constituency of Varanasi. Excerpts from an Idea Exchange session at the Indian Express.
Maneesh Chhibber: Can you tell us something about the one year of the Narendra Modi government?
The one thing this government has given to the nation is respect for India and Indians in the world. The faith of the common man and Indian diaspora in the governance system, in politicians – something that was lost, especially in the last 10 years – has also increased. People thought they had reached a point of no return. Now one can witness a sea change, with transparency in the working system, a largely corruption-free environment, etc. In the last one year, there has been no event or issue that can put a black spot or label on any politician. Some people are asking, where are the ‘achhe din’ and ‘Why have they not started yet?’. But can there be a yardstick, a measuring scale for ‘achhe din’? The issues being raised (by the government) concern 90 per cent of the population – farmers, labourers, the common man who sells tea. And yet, the Opposition says we are a government for corporates and questions our social reforms. Further, on GST, there was a consensus among all (state) governments, but still just to fall in line with the Opposition’s thought process, we sent it to parliamentary committees, etc. We honoured their sentiments and invited them to give suggestions.
Avishek G Dastidar: How important is the culture ministry in this government?
What is the strength of this country in the world? In a film, it was said, ‘Mere paas maa hai’. I say, ‘Mere paas rich cultural heritage hai’. The world is looking at India’s culture – yoga, three generations of families cooking in the same kitchen, the relationship between father and son. The European world wants us to guide them in yoga and family relations. Our culture is our soul. We have 65 per cent youth, and before they go and explore Dubai, Thailand, etc, they should explore the rich cultural heritage of my great nation. This culture should not be changed. A cultural change may not affect the US, but it will break the structure of this country, it is our binding force. So, this ministry is very close to the heart of the prime minister.
Sunny Sen: Can you name the specific achievements of the culture ministry? You are also MoS for civil aviation. The new aviation policy has been delayed. Where are we on that? It was supposed to be out in the first year of the civil aviation ministry’s tenure.
We have 39 organisations under the ministry of culture -the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), National School of Drama (NSD), Sahitya Akademi, etc. Cultural achievements cannot be measured. Culture is intangible. The only thing that counts is our sincere process to make all these activities transparent and make the workings of artistes available online. Regarding the civil aviation policy, yes, there has been a delay. This industry is in crisis. Worldwide, we rank ninth in the civil aviation industry. Our vision by 2020 is to bring this to No. 3. Our connectivity to Tier II or III towns, which are tourism places, has not yet started. Out of 125 airports, only 18 are functional, 45 are lying as they are. The 5:20 rule (which requires a domestic airline to have 20 aircraft and at least five years of operations to start flying on international routes) is still in the process of being addressed. On our national carrier – everybody says the civil aviation ministry means Air India ministry – there are so many burning issues. So we have left it to public opinion, and we have intentionally delayed it for some time. Once this policy comes in, it will address all these issues.
Shobhana Subramanian: When do you see Air India making profits? Every year, it makes Rs 4,500 crore of losses on an average and the government puts in around Rs 4,500 crore of equity under the 10-year restructuring plan.
It’s my pain as well. The losses are more than Rs 4,500 crore annually. We got a legacy, Rs 50,000 crore of debts, Rs 39,000 crore of accumulated losses and around Rs 6,000 crore of annual losses. Maybe it will be for the first time in 10 years that it will make an operational profit, though maybe not much. My seed capital when I started my own venture was Rs 600. So, using my enterprising experience, I have put a challenge to my people to bring around our national carrier. Maybe it will start in a year or so. Still, so much debt can’t be cleared in one year or three years. We can take a call, offload Air India or disinvest or privatise, but then I see the wonderful work that the airline has done – in Nepal, Jammu and Kashmir, Yemen, etc.
Irena Akbar: You said that respect for India in the world has gone up in the one year of this government. The PM also recently said that Indians were earlier ashamed of their country. His comment has drawn a lot of flak for implying that Indians had nothing to be proud of till his government came into being.
I’m proud of being an Indian today, I’ll be proud tomorrow, and I was proud yesterday also. But compare the pride you feel in being Indian today to a year ago when everything Indian was under question. You were labelled a corrupt, unclean country, with no governance. Did you feel proud of that? Or are you feeling proud today? What the PM has said, that was the essence behind it – that I’m a proud Indian today and that there were things that shamed us a year ago worldwide.