Patiala, Dec. 21 -- Punjab chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said his government is building a robust aviation ecosystem in the state by providing quality, affordable and world-class training aligned with industry needs.

The idea is to position the state as a major hub of the aviation industry in the coming years, the CM said while interacting with 32 trainee pilots of the Patiala Flying Club and 72 students of Patiala Aircraft Maintenance Engineering College.

"Among the 32 trainee pilots, most are first-generation entrants in the aviation sector. Most private institutes charge Rs.40-45 lakh for commercial pilots' training but at the Patiala Flying Club, there is a 50% subsidy, reducing the fee to Rs.22-25 lakh," said the CM...