NABH (NextGen Airports for Bharat)

The government, in the Union Budget of 2018-19, announced a scheme, to expand airport capacity more than five times to handle a billion trips a year under a new scheme called Next Gen Airports for Bharat (NABH) Nirman. Airport capacity up-gradation and expansion require both the development of new Greenfield airports and expansion of existing Brownfield airports.

• The three key aspects of NABH Nirman are (1) fair and equitable land acquisition, (2) long-term master plan for airport and regional development and (3) balanced economics for all stakeholders.
• Improving passenger amenities, promoting cargo handling facilities and early operationalisation of 56 new airports under UDAN scheme are the focus areas while simultaneously working on improving regional connectivity and improving passenger services in a big way.
• The issue with the NABH scheme is the land acquisition policy of the Indian government that is criticized by the locals, after its amendments in 2015. The land acquiring process ousts the local farmers and residents and also the rehabilitation record of the government is also very por in the previous history. Therefore, for any such projects government must take the locals into confidence. Not only land acquisition and rehabilitation but the regional development is also very challenging part of the scheme. Therefore, the government must outreach to the local residents and with help of local administration this projects should be further preceded.