Prabhu urged to declare April 15 as National Aviation Day

New Delhi : Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday urged Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu to declare April 15 -- the birth anniversary of Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh -- as National Aviation Day.

In a letter, Chandrasekhar recounted Marshal Arjan Singh's "distinguished services" in commanding the Indian Air Force (IAF).

"April 15 marks the birthday of...Marshal Arjan Singh, DFC who was awarded Padma Vibhushan for his distinguished service in commanding the IAF during the India- Pakistan War of 1965, and in 1966 he became the first IAF officer to be promoted as Air Chief Marshal," wrote Chandrasekhar.

Also, in 2002, he became the first and only officer of the IAF to be promoted to five-star rank as Marshal of the force, he noted.

This, he said, makes the date important and a suitable choice for celebrating and commemorating the heritage and success of the Indian Aviation Industry in the form of National Aviation Day.