MP govt paid Rs 37 cr to private firms in 3 years for hiring their planes

The Madhya Pradesh government has paid around Rs 37 crore to private aviation companies for hiring their aircraft and helicopters during the past three years, the state Assembly was informed on Wednesday.

The information was given in a written reply in response to a question asked by Congress legislator Mewaram Jatav. Jatav had sought to know the number of air journeys undertaken by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, other state ministers and officials and the money paid to private aviation companies for hiring their planes and helicopters for such travels since April 1, 2020. In the written reply, Chouhan said private planes or helicopters are hired when government-owned aircraft are not available to ferry ministers or senior officials. During the given period, government planes and helicopters were used 94 and 982 times, respectively. In the case of private aircraft and helicopters, they were deployed 222 and 97 times, respectively, in the last three years, it said. For hiring private planes and helicopters, a sum of Rs 36.96 crore was paid to five aviation companies, the reply said. Overall, an amount of Rs 39.35 crore was spent on 1,395 trips undertaken using both private and government jets and choppers in the last three years, it added.