Budget 2022: Govt allocates additional Rs 51,971 crore to settle Air India’s debt

News Network
February 1, 2022

New Delhi, Feb 1: Having closed the most high-profile disinvestment process of Air India, the government also decided to retire the airline’s debt that it transferred to the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). In the Union Budget 2022-23, the government allocated an additional Rs 51,971 crore towards the settlement of outstanding guaranteed liabilities of Air India and its other sundry commitments.

This amount has been accounted in the revised estimates of total expenditure in 2021-22.

“As against a total expenditure of Rs 34.83 lakh crore projected in the Budget Estimates 2021-22, the Revised Estimate is Rs 37.70 lakh crore. The Revised Estimate of capital expenditure is Rs 6.03 lakh crore. This includes an amount of Rs 51,971 crore towards settlement of outstanding guaranteed liabilities of Air India and its other sundry commitments,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said during the Budget speech.

The Tata Group acquired 100 percent stake in the airline, in a deal that closed on January 27, for Rs 18,000 crore. Of this, Rs 15,300 crore was taken on as debt, and Rs 2,700 crore was paid to the Centre in cash. For servicing the high-cost debt that it has taken on with the airline, a consortium led by the State Bank of India has approved a plan to provide long-term debt to the Tata Group.

As per the revised estimates of 2021-22, the SPV — AI Asset Holding Ltd — has received Rs 62,057 crore, of which Rs 36,254 crore was infused as equity for repayment of past government-guaranteed borrowings of Air India; Rs 12,357 crore for repayment of borrowings for sale and leaseback rentals for aircraft; and Rs 13,446 crore for repayment of other dues and liabilities.

The huge amount of debt carried by Air India resulting from years of loss-making operations was one of the key hindrances in the past disinvestment attempts by the government. During the last disinvestment process, the government tweaked the bidding conditions to allow potential bidders to place a bid at the enterprise value — meaning they could decide the quantum of debt they would want to take on.

Also, upon finalising the decision to sell its stake in Air India, the government, over the last two years, had stopped infusing funds into the airline and was instead guaranteeing its loans.

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News Network
November 22,2025

The Karnataka government has announced a 50% rebate on pending traffic and transport fines. The discount is available from November 21 to December 12.

The rebate applies to all traffic e-challans and violation cases booked by the RTO between 1991–92 and 2019–20. Officials clarified that the offer is not applicable to pending tax dues and is restricted only to traffic-violation fines.

Across Karnataka, more than 4 lakh RTO cases remain pending, including those involving transport vehicles. While thousands of vehicle owners have already cleared their dues, the department expects to generate substantial revenue through this limited-period rebate.

How to Pay and Avail the Discount

There are three ways to check and pay your pending fines:

1. Through Mobile Apps
Available on both Play Store and App Store:
•    Karnataka State Police (KSP) app
•    KarnatakaOne app
•    ASTraM app

Steps:
•    Enter your vehicle number in any of the above apps
•    Verify the photo/details of your vehicle
•    Pay the fine with the 50% discount applied

2. Visit a Traffic Police Station

You can pay your pending fine at any nearby traffic police station.

3. Visit the Traffic Management Centre (TMC)

•    Location: First Floor, Infantry Road, near Indian Express, Bengaluru

Transport Commissioner Yogeesh A M said, “We don't issue e-challans, so there's no online payment system.”

The department estimates ₹52 crore in pending RTO fines up to March 2020. “With the 50% rebate, we expect to collect around ₹25 crore if all dues are cleared,” he added.

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News Network
November 22,2025

Mangaluru: Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H has warned of strict action against individuals spreading rumours and attempting to create insecurity within the Muslim community and fuel hatred between Hindus and Muslims through social media.

Referring to a recent social media post alleging that police personnel had entered a masjid premises to check whether beef was being cooked, the commissioner said miscreants were attempting to push their communal agenda. 

“A group of people, both from Mangaluru and abroad, are trying hard to spread rumours. For the past 10 days, they have been attempting to rake up old issues, highlight routine matters as controversies, or fabricate news altogether,” he said.

He reiterated that any such attempts to disturb communal harmony would invite legal action. “Cases will be registered and the accused will be brought to book,” he stated.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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