Drone manufacturing in India to get a boost
Hyderabad: The Union government recently has banned the import of foreign drones. The move comes after the Union Budget 2022 proposed the Drone Shakti scheme to facilitate the application and use of ‘drones as service’ in the country. The import of drone components, however, has not been banned and will not require any approvals. The […]
Hyderabad: The Union government recently has banned the import of foreign drones. The move comes after the Union Budget 2022 proposed the Drone Shakti scheme to facilitate the application and use of ‘drones as service’ in the country. The import of drone components, however, has not been banned and will not require any approvals. The import of drones for defense and security purposes will also be allowed subject to approval from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The move aims to promote made-in-India drones.
Drone Rules
In 2021, the Ministry notified liberalized drone rules intending to encourage R&D and to make India a drone hub. It abolished several permissions and approvals. The number of forms that need to be filled was reduced from 25 to five and the types of fee brought down from 72 to 4.
No permission is required for operating drones in green zones and no remote pilot licence is necessary for non-commercial use of micro and nano drones.
Payloads up to 500kg have been allowed so the drones can be used as unmanned flying taxis. Further, foreign ownership of companies operating drones has also been permitted.
Drone Shakti Scheme
The Union Budget pushed for promotion of drones through startups and skilling at Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). Startups will be promoted to facilitate ‘Drone Shakti’ through varied applications and for Drone-As-A-Service (DrAAS). Courses for skilling will also be started in selected ITIs across all States.
DrAAS allows enterprises to avail various services from drone companies, removing the need for them to invest in drone hardware or software, pilots, and training programmes.
Sectors, where drones can be employed, are endless.
Drones will also be promoted for crop assessment, digitisation of land records, spraying of insecticides and nutrients (Kisan Drones). The drone services industry is expected to grow to over Rs 30,000 crore in next three years and generate over five lakh jobs.
Applications of drones
Drone is a layman terminology for Unmanned Aircraft (UA). Originally developed for the military and aerospace industries, drones have found their way into the mainstream because of the enhanced levels of safety and efficiency they bring.
Agriculture: Drones have a plethora of applications in Agriculture, which consists of carrying out everyday tasks like fertilizing crop fields on an automated basis, monitoring traffic incidents, surveying hard-to-reach places among others.
Healthcare: Drones can make medicine delivery more accessible and faster, especially in distant locations. Drone delivery of medical goods and time-sensitive transplant organs will also aid in improved resource management of limited supplies. Eg Telangana government’s ‘Medicine from the sky’ programme.
Disaster Management: In the event of a natural disaster, such as an earthquake or flood, authorities can dispatch drones to monitor the affected areas.
Drones can potentially be used as a social rescue device, detecting and directing trapped persons to safe regions. They can also be used to inspect and offer real-time footage at construction sites.
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