The air travel expenditure of the Madhya Pradesh government is rising sharply, with new figures presented in the State Assembly revealing that the government is spending nearly ₹21 lakh per day on rented aircraft and helicopters. The data emerged in response to questions raised by Congress MLAs Pratap Grewal and Pankaj Upadhyay.
According to the details submitted in the Assembly, the government’s official aircraft has been lying unused at the Gwalior Airbase since it crashed in May 2021. Neither has it been repaired, nor has a new aircraft been purchased. With no functional fixed-wing aircraft and an insufficient fleet of helicopters, the government currently relies heavily on rented aviation services. Only one government-owned helicopter is operational.
The expenditure on air travel has increased by over 50% during Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s tenure. Notably, the per-hour cost of chartered air travel now exceeds ₹5 lakh, significantly adding to the financial burden on the state exchequer.
Opposition leaders have criticised the rising costs, questioning the government’s failure to repair or replace its grounded aircraft while continuing to depend on expensive private aviation services.
