Various authorities departments and ministries had pending funds amounting to Rs 278.49 crore to Air India, based on RTI info from the loss-laden nationwide service which is being offered off to the Tata group.
According to Air India’s reply to a Right to Information (RTI) utility filed by Commodore Lokesh Ok Batra (Retd) on January 20, 2022, the dues are beneath a number of heads and estimated to have been pending as much as October final yr. The authorities has already stopped reserving by means of credit score services by its departments on Air India forward of the disinvestment.
This pending quantity consists of Rs 244.78 crore from over 700 authorities departments and sections as of September 2021 and Rs 33.71 crore in direction of varied VVIP flights as on July 27, 2021, as per the information. This additionally consists of dues from the Prime Minister’s flights of Rs 7.20 crore and the President’s flight dues of Rs 6.14 crore. The final audit was finished on October 7, 2021, Air India mentioned.
The Ministry of External Affairs owes Rs 20.37 crore, the Ministry of Home Affairs owes Rs 7.20 crore and the Defence Ministry owes Rs 6.14 crore.
When requested to supply monetary year-wise information from FY16 onwards on the quantity not recovered however e-book changes finished from every such public authority, Air India mentioned within the RTI reply, “as the disinvestment procedure is going on, the requested information will be provided later on.”
Among different dues, Lok Sabha, New Delhi, owes Rs 2.38 crore; Airport Authority of India round Rs 53 lakh; Under Secretary, Lok Sabha sect Rs 2.40 crore; Controller of Defence Accounts Rs 2.45 crore; Sr Executive Officer, Rajya Sabha sect Rs 4.91 crore; Ministry of External Affairs round Rs 5.2 crore; Lok Sabha sect, Rs 4.29 crore; Executive Officer, Lok Sabha sect Rs 18.15 crore; Dept of Post Rs 9.52 crore; Commissioner of Customs Rs 64.37 crore; Controller of Defence Accounts (Navy) Rs 16.84 crore; Indian Embassy Paris Rs 1.21 crore; and Indian Embassy Kathmandu Rs 1.19 crore.
Various sections within the Civil Aviation Department itself owe practically Rs 5 crore to Air India, which is saddled with big losses. According to the service, round 790 authorities departments and ministries owe cash to it.
The excellent from the Vice President’s flights was Rs 10.219 crore, evacuation flight dues had been Rs 7.214 crore and international dignitaries Rs 2.94 crore. As per C&AG report 40 of 2016, as on March 31, 2016, the federal government had owed Air India Rs 513.27 crore in direction of VVIP and different chartered flights, together with evacuation fights and upkeep of plane.
Newsletter | Click to get the day’s greatest explainers in your inbox
With the method of disinvestment of Air India and Air India Express happening, Air India has stopped all credit score services to authorities departments. “Therefore, all ministries/ departments are directed to clear Air India’s due immediately. Air tickers from Air India may be purchased in cash till further instructions,” the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, mentioned in an workplace memorandum on October 27, 2021.
However, modifying the October order, the Expenditure Department issued one other order on December 31, 2021, saying, “in all cases of air travel where the Government of India bears the cost of air passage, the officials concerned are to travel by Air India only and air tickets are to be purchased directly from Air India or by utilizing the services of the three Authorized Travel Agents viz. Balmer Lawrie & Company Ltd, Ashok Travels & Tours (ATT) and Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation.”
“To ensure timely payment of air ticket to the travel agents, to confirm the performance of journey, the employee has to submit a certificate/ undertaking in prescribed proforma within 7 days of completion of journey. TA bill may be submitted later as per the existing rules,” it mentioned.
In October 2021, the federal government issued a letter of intent (LoI) confirming the sale of its 100 per cent stake within the loss-making Air India to Tata group for Rs 18,000 crore. The authorities had accepted a suggestion by Talace Pvt Ltd, a unit of the holding firm of the group, to pay Rs 2,700 crore in money and takeover Rs 15,300 crore of the airline’s debt. Air India’s gathered losses of Rs 70,875 crore have led to the erosion of the online value of the corporate.
Employees of Air India and Indian Airlines have come beneath the ambit of Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) from January 1, 2022, with the Labour Ministry repealing the associated laws that allowed them to be a part of the exempted belief up to now.
