RAS question
Which of the following is/are functions of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)? 1. Regulation of air transport services 2. Enforcement of safety standards 3. Licensing of pilots and aircraft 4. Management of airport infrastructure Select the correct answer:
Correct answer: (B) 1, 2 and 3 only.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation regulates air transport services, enforces civil aviation safety standards and handles licensing, while airport infrastructure management is not a DGCA function.
Explanation
The DGCA is India's civil aviation regulator, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation page describes it as the body primarily dealing with safety issues. Its stated responsibilities include regulation of air transport services to, from and within India, enforcement of civil air regulations, air safety and airworthiness standards, and regulatory functions such as registration and licensing. That directly covers statements 1, 2 and 3 in the question. Statement 4 is the trap: airport infrastructure management belongs to the Airports Authority of India, not DGCA. Therefore, the correct set is 1, 2 and 3 only.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) It leaves out licensing, although DGCA's functions include licensing pilots and related aviation personnel as well as aircraft-linked certification and registration work.
- (C) It wrongly includes airport infrastructure management and excludes enforcement of safety standards, even though safety regulation is central to DGCA's mandate.
- (D) It overextends DGCA's role by adding airport infrastructure management, which is handled by AAI rather than the aviation regulator.
Concept
This tests the governance distinction between a sector regulator and an infrastructure authority. RAS questions often use such institutional role boundaries because similar-sounding bodies in transport and infrastructure have different legal functions.