New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said effective implementation of the UDAN scheme is not only crucial for the growth of North-eastern states but also for providing affordable aviation.

He was chairing a meeting on the regional connectivity scheme (RCS-UDAN) with Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries of N-E states, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Daman and Diu via video conferencing.

According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, modernisation, expansion, development of airports and increasing connectivity were among the topics discussed at the meeting.

"The focus was to discuss and resolve issues concerning rollout of RCS-UDAN and take stock of progress being made," the ministry said in a statement.

The N-E states and UTs were the first in the series of video conferencing planned for periodic review of the RCS-UDAN scheme, it added.

--IANS rv/pcj