NATIONAL AIR SPORTS POLICY 2022

• Recently, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched National Air Sport Policy 2022 (NASP 2022).
• It has been drafted based on the inputs received from policy makers, air sports practitioners and public at large and will ensure establishment of good quality of infrastructure, equipment, instructors and services.
• NASP 2022 lays out the vision of making India as one of the top sports nations by 2030, by providing a safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable air sports ecosystem in India.

Objectives:

• Promote an air sports culture in the country.
• Enable adoption of international good practices in safety including but not limited to, air sports infrastructure, equipment, operations, maintenance and training.
• Develop a simple, stakeholder-friendly and effective governance structure.
• Enhance participation and success of Indian sportspersons in global air sports events.
• Promote design, development and manufacturing of air sports equipment in India in line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
• There will be four-tier governance structure for air sports in India namely:
• Air Sports Federation of India (ASFI) as the apex governing body.
• National associations for individual air sports or a set of air sports, as appropriate
• Regional (e.g. West/ South/ North East etc.) or State and Union Territory level units of the national air sports associations, as appropriate; and
• District-level air sports associations, as appropriate.

Significance:

• India has the potential to be among the leading nations in the world of air sports. It has a large geographical expanse, diverse topography and fair weather conditions.
• It has a large population, especially the youth. It has a growing culture for adventure sports and aviation.
• Other than the direct revenue from air sports activities, the multiplier benefits in terms of growth of travel, tourism, infrastructure and local employment, especially in hilly areas of the country, are several times greater.
• Creation of air sports hubs across the country will also bring in air sports professionals and tourists from across the world.

SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT