New Delhi, Aug. 24 -- Written questions in Parliament are often a rich source of information, compelling the central government to disclose details it might not otherwise make public. They can even force the government to add some degree of processing of what is essentially raw data.

In the recently concluded Monsoon Session, this was clearly evident in the written questions directed at the civil aviation ministry.

Coming in the aftermath of the Air India crash in Ahmedabad, several questions focused on air safety. Here are five revelations about India's civil aviation sector:

In India, three entities are tasked with air safety: the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA|), which regulates the aviation sector; the Bureau of Civil ...