Suspension of scheduled international passenger flights extended till further orders: DGCA
New Delhi, Feb 28: The suspension of scheduled international passenger flights in the country has been extended "till further orders", aviation regulator DGCA said on Monday.
On January 19, the suspension was extended till February 28.
Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23, 2020, following the outbreak of the coronavirus.
However, special passenger flights have been operating between India and around 45 countries since July 2020 under air bubble arrangements formed with them.
In a circular on Monday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated: "The competent authority has decided to extend the suspension of scheduled international commercial passenger services to/from India till further orders."
This restriction will not apply to international all-cargo operations and flight specifically approved by the DGCA, it mentioned.
Fights under air bubble arrangement will not be affected, the circular said.
The DGCA had on November 26, 2021, announced that India will resume scheduled international passenger flights from December 15, 2021.
Just a day later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the Civil Aviation Ministry and the DGCA to review its decision in wake of rising concerns over the COVID-19 variant Omicron.
On December 1, 2021, the DGCA revoked its November 26 decision without saying how long the suspension of scheduled international flights continue.
— DGCA (@DGCAIndia) February 28, 2022
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
