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By:

Bhalchandra Chorghade

11 August 2025 at 1:54:18 pm

NMIA set for commercial take-off on December 25

Long-term expansion plans take shape Mumbai: Even as long-term expansion plans gather momentum, Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is preparing to mark a defining milestone with the commencement of commercial operations from December 25, 2025. Sources familiar with the development confirmed that the first flight is scheduled to land at NMIA at around 8.30 am from Bengaluru, operated by IndiGo. The same aircraft will subsequently depart for Delhi, symbolically placing the greenfield...

NMIA set for commercial take-off on December 25

Long-term expansion plans take shape Mumbai: Even as long-term expansion plans gather momentum, Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is preparing to mark a defining milestone with the commencement of commercial operations from December 25, 2025. Sources familiar with the development confirmed that the first flight is scheduled to land at NMIA at around 8.30 am from Bengaluru, operated by IndiGo. The same aircraft will subsequently depart for Delhi, symbolically placing the greenfield airport on India’s aviation map and formally integrating it into the country’s busiest air corridors. This operational launch comes at a time when the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), the project’s nodal planning authority, has initiated the process to appoint a consultant for conducting a geotechnical feasibility study for a proposed third runway at NMIA. The parallel movement of near-term operational readiness and long-term capacity planning underlines the strategic importance of the airport, not just as a secondary facility to Mumbai, but as a future aviation hub in its own right. The December 25 launch date carries significance beyond symbolism. NMIA has been envisioned for over two decades as a critical solution to the capacity constraints at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), which operates close to saturation. With limited scope for further expansion at Mumbai’s existing airport, NMIA’s entry into operations is expected to ease congestion, rationalise flight schedules and improve overall passenger experience across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Modest Operations Initial operations are expected to be modest, focusing on select domestic routes, with Bengaluru and Delhi being logical starting points given their high passenger volumes and strong business connectivity with Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Aviation experts note that starting with trunk routes allows operators and airport systems to stabilise operations, fine-tune processes and gradually scale up capacity. IndiGo’s choice as the first operator also reflects the airline’s dominant market share and its strategy of early-mover advantage at new airports. While NMIA’s first phase includes two runways, the initiation of a geotechnical feasibility study for a third runway highlights planners’ expectations of robust long-term demand. CIDCO’s move to appoint a consultant at this early stage suggests that authorities are keen to future-proof the airport, learning from the capacity limitations faced by CSMIA. A third runway, if found technically and environmentally feasible, would significantly enhance NMIA’s ability to handle peak-hour traffic, support parallel operations and attract international long-haul flights over time. The feasibility study will play a critical role in determining soil conditions, land stability, construction challenges and environmental sensitivities, particularly given Navi Mumbai’s complex terrain and proximity to mangroves and water bodies. Experts point out that such studies are essential to avoid cost overruns and execution delays, which have historically plagued large infrastructure projects in the region. From an economic perspective, the operationalisation of NMIA is expected to act as a catalyst for growth across Navi Mumbai and adjoining regions. Improved air connectivity is likely to boost commercial real estate, logistics parks, hospitality and tourism, while also strengthening the case for ancillary infrastructure such as metro lines, road corridors and airport-linked business districts. The timing of the airport’s opening also aligns with broader infrastructure upgrades underway in the MMR, including new highways and rail connectivity, which could amplify NMIA’s impact. However, challenges remain. Smooth coordination between airlines, ground handling agencies, security forces and air traffic control will be critical during the initial phase. Any operational hiccups could affect public perception of the new airport, making the first few weeks crucial. Additionally, the transition of flights from CSMIA to NMIA will need careful calibration to ensure passenger convenience and airline viability. As NMIA prepares to welcome its first aircraft on December 25, the simultaneous push towards planning a third runway signals a clear message: the airport is not just opening for today’s needs, but is being positioned to serve the region’s aviation demands for decades to come.

Fertile Yet Fragmented

Despite ambitious reforms and record spending, India's farmers remain shackled by skewed incentives, outdated infrastructure and political inertia.

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India’s green revolution once symbolised its triumph over hunger and foreign dependence. Today, while industrialisation powers cities and services dominate exports, agriculture still anchors the country’s economic resilience. Yet, the sector remains undermined by structural inefficiencies, over-politicisation, and an inability to modernise at pace with ambition.


Nowhere is this clearer than in fertilizer use, a fundamental input for boosting agricultural productivity. Every crop season, the ministries of agriculture and fertilizers jointly forecast requirements and allocate subsidies, ranging from 30 to 70 percentage. In 2025-26, Rs.1.67 trillion is earmarked to subsidise Urea and other nutrients. Despite the government’s best efforts, nearly a third of all fertilizers are still imported, as of 2023-24. The 2013 National Investment Policy aimed to reverse this dependence, spurring six new Urea plants by the end of 2024. Another is planned in Assam. But even as capacity expands, technology remains outdated—a point flagged by Parliament’s Standing Committee over a decade ago. Their recommendation to switch to a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) model for subsidies remains stuck in bureaucratic limbo.


Fertilizer misuse, driven by distorted incentives, presents another challenge. Urea, heavily subsidised, is cheaper than other vital nutrients. The result: excessive usage, declining soil quality and diminishing long-term returns. The government responded by launching the PM-PRANAM scheme in June 2023, nudging states towards balanced fertilizer consumption. The Soil Health Card initiative, introduced a decade ago, furthers this mission by helping farmers match application to soil conditions. As of December 2024, over 2.36 million farmers had benefited from such initiatives.


Agricultural credit has grown by 14 percentage annually over the past decade, reaching Rs.23 trillion in 2023-24. Yet small landholdings and low productivity limit borrowing power. Nearly two-thirds of indebted households own under one hectare, with many still reliant on informal lenders. A 2020 survey found 31 percentage of small farmers used non-institutional credit, and 43 percentage of loans were spent on non-farm needs.


The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme, launched in 1998, now covers the full cycle of farm and household needs. By late 2024, 73 million accounts held Rs.8.9 trillion in credit. Loans up to Rs.3 lakh attract 7 percentage annual interest, with a 3 percentage rebate for timely repayment. Meanwhile, the flagship crop insurance scheme, PMFBY, launched in 2016, covers 480.3 million hectares with Rs.19.5 trillion insured. But delayed state subsidies have hampered claim payouts, prompting a 2021 parliamentary call for fixed timelines. Awareness remains dismal as 39 percentage of farmers do not know the scheme exists, and a further 24 percentage do not see the need for it.


Woes deepen after harvest. A 2020-21 NABARD study pegged annual losses from post-harvest wastage at Rs.1.5 trillion, largely due to insufficient storage. India needs 61 million tonnes of cold storage capacity, but has just 39.4 million tonnes. Its 7,085 APMC markets fall far short of the 48,000 needed to ensure one every 5 km, as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission. Worse, most markets lack modern infrastructure. Middlemen thrive in this chaos, often paying farmers a fraction of the final price. The government’s three farm laws aimed to liberalise the sector but were rolled back after widespread protests. While the e-NAM platform, launched in 2016, offers a digital marketplace and marginally better returns, adoption remains uneven.


The Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime, meant to act as a safety net, has also come under scrutiny. Covering 22 crops, MSPs were set at 1.5 times production costs in 2018-19. Agencies like FCI and NAFED handle procurement. But generous MSPs for select crops have hurt crop diversity and soil health, especially in Punjab and Haryana. A 2023 Niti Aayog survey found that crops with higher MSP support showed lower output growth than unsupported crops, raising questions about effectiveness and long-term sustainability.


Digitisation has yielded modest gains. Jan Dhan Yojana expanded banking access for farmers, enhancing creditworthiness. Since 2019, PM-Kisan has transferred Rs.6,000 annually via DBT to landholding families, disbursing Rs.3.24 trillion to 120 million beneficiaries by August 2024. The scheme’s 2025-26 outlay is Rs.63,500 crore.


Political meddling has long thwarted attempts to empower India’s farmers, entrenching corruption and inefficiency. Yet the past decade has witnessed a push towards formalization, with digital tools and improved credit flows gradually empowering smallholders. To sustain this momentum, the government must back collaborative farming via FPOs and cooperatives, while inviting corporate investment to modernize agriculture. Replicating successes like Amul will be vital to realising the ambitions of Viksit Bharat.


(The author is a Chartered Accountant with a leading company in Mumbai. Views personal.)

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