QUESTION 12
GS3
15 marks
What is the need for expanding the regional air connectivity in India? In this context, discuss the government's UDAN Scheme and its achievements.
WRITE IN
11 min
250 words
What the examiner wants
Explain why regional air connectivity matters and assess UDAN's achievements.
DiscussExplain the different sides of the issue, use evidence, and finish with a balanced view.
Demand-wise check
- 1Need: connectivity for remote, hilly and NE regions, tourism, health access, economic growth≈65 words
- 2UDAN (2016): viability gap funding, capped fares, airports, heliports, water aerodromes≈65 words
- 3Achievements and limits: routes and airports operationalised, many routes discontinued after VGF ended≈65 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
NeedScheme designAchievements with dataGapsConclusion
Where marks usually go
- No data
- Not noting route discontinuation
Draw this
- Map of UDAN airports
Value addition
- DataOver 600 UDAN routes and about 90 airports/heliports/water aerodromes were operationalised by 2025.Ministry of Civil Aviation
- ReportCAG (2023) found many UDAN routes stopped after the three-year VGF period ended.CAG Performance Audit on RCS-UDAN, 2023
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 23 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Mayank Purohit · AIR 33 · Page 13 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aniket Ranjan · AIR 48 · Page 26 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Mayank Purohit · AIR 33 · Page 15 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 11 minutes, then get it checked.