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. "For decades, training to become a pilot was possible only for the very wealthy, but with government support and subsidies, Punjab has broken this barrier through the Patiala Flying Club," said Mann, adding that his government aims to give every child a chance to fulfill their dream of flying high in the sky. Established in 1965, the Patiala Flying Club ranks seventh nationwide, said the CM while adding that the club currently operates seven training aircraft, including five single-engine planes, two multi-engine planes and one Tecnam P2006T (newly added, purchased from Italy for Rs.5 crore). "The facilities include night landing capability at Patiala airfield and training experience at Amritsar International Airport," Mann added. Mann said that the Punjab government offers affordable technical education at Patiala Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (AME) College, which runs India's most economical AME and B.Sc (Hons) programs. He claimed that a three-year B.Sc (Hons) plus three-year Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-approved AME programme costs only Rs.3 lakh, whereas in other states, the same course costs Rs.5 to 8 lakh. About one-third of seats are reserved for students from the SC and OBC categories, he said. The CM also said an aviation museum is being established at the Patiala Aviation Complex at a cost of Rs.7 crore. It will showcase MiG aircraft, second-generation helicopters, simulators, and aviation heritage, providing valuable knowledge to students and the public, he said....