India’s aviation sector is facing one of its toughest operational and financial phases in recent years. Major Indian airlines including Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet have warned that they are on the verge of “stopping operations” unless the government urgently intervenes to address soaring fuel costs and operational challenges. The crisis is being driven by two major factors simultaneously: Rising Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices Longer international flight routes caused b

On June 21, 1991, as P. V. Narasimha Rao prepared to take oath as India’s Prime Minister, an unsettling reality surfaced even before he assumed office. Cabinet Secretary Naresh Chandra handed him a top-secret eight-page document—a report that would redefine the fate of a nation. Rao’s reaction was immediate and visceral: “Is India’s economy really in such bad shape?” The reply came cold and unambiguous: “No, sir. It’s worse.” This was not rhetoric. It was a warning of an impe