Amartya Sen Only Bharat Ratna Awardee To Avail Free Air Travel, Took 21 Flights In 4 Years: Reveals RTI swarajyamag.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from swarajyamag.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Bharat Ratna awardees get a lifetime of free Air India air tickets. Of all the awardees, only Amartya Sen has availed this facility by travelling 21 times between 2015 and 2019.
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Since 2003, Indian Airlines/ Alliance Air Network has provided free lifetime air travel to all Bharat Ratna awardees. However, according to
India Today, Nobel laureate and Bharat Ratna awardee Amartya Sen is the only awardee to avail this perk and that to 21 times in 4 years.
India Today had filed a Right to Information (RTI) request with Air India to know when the central government decided to grant this perk to Bharat Ratna recipients. Responding to their query, Air India said, .the procedure for issuance of free tickets to Bharat Ratna awardees was circulated by erstwhile Indian Airlines on 25/08/2003. In 2003, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government was at the Centre.