Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Centre declared the offer by Tata Sons as the winning bid for debt-laden national carrier Air India, obtaining 100 per cent shareholding. After the announcement, Tata Sons Chairman Ratan Tata said ‘Welcome Back, Air India’.
‘Air India’, the airline was founded by Bharat Ratna JRD Tata in the early 1930s but was late nationalised in 1953. Tuhin Kanta Pandey, secretary to the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) stated that they have received two financial bids on September 15 and the panel of ministers cleared the winning bid. Tata is the winning bid and this is Air India’s return to its founders after a gap of 68 years.
The government has put in Rs 54,584 crores since 2009-10 as cash support and Rs 55,692 crores as guarantee support for Air India, which is a total of Rs 1,10,276 crores and the winning bidder (Tata Sons) will retain all employees for the period of one year.
Ratan Tata tweeted an old photograph of JRD getting down from an Air India aircraft and stated- “On an emotional note, Air India, under the leadership of Mr JRD Tata had, at one time, gained the reputation of being one of the most prestigious airlines in the world. Tatas will have the opportunity of regaining the image and reputation it enjoyed in earlier years. Mr JRD Tata would have been overjoyed if he was in our midst today.”
