Private players can use drones for Delivery purpose

Private players can use drones for Delivery purpose

News: The government is utilizing the services of drone providers for vaccine delivery, an inspection of oil pipelines and power transmission lines, agricultural spraying, etc. Private players can now also do so.

Background:
• The government of India on 25 August last year notified the Drones Rules, 2021 to provide the necessary regulatory framework for the commercial use of drones.
• A month later, the central government further liberalised the scope of Drone rules by introducing the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to promote the growth of drone manufacturing by private companies.
• The scheme provides for an incentive of Rs 120 crores, spread over three financial years. The PLI rate is 20% of the value addition over three financial years. As per government orders, PLI for a manufacturer shall be capped at 25% of the total annual outlay.
• Earlier, a provisional list of 23 PLI beneficiaries was released on 6th July 2022. The beneficiaries include 12 manufacturers of drones and 11 manufacturers of drone components. What was the first-ever Drone loan sanctioned by Government?
• The Agri Infra Fund (AIF) on 30 July 2022 sanctioned the first ever drone loan for a Kisan drone manufactured by Garuda Aerospace. AIF functions under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and has spearheaded many schemes that are farmer-centric.

How do Drones help all sectors of economy?
• From agriculture, and transportation, to defence, drones offer immense benefits to almost all sectors of the economy in the areas of vaccine delivery, surveillance, search and rescue, mapping, law enforcement and more.
• Drone service providers offer services to governments in various ways including vaccine delivery, inspection of oil pipelines and power transmission lines, anti-locust operations, agricultural spraying, the survey of mines, land mapping under SVAMITVA scheme for issuance of digital property cards, etc. Infact, many of these have been especially helpful in remote areas of the country.
• Private players are free to use drones for delivery purposes in accordance with Drone Rules, 2021.

What are some of the regulatory aspects regarding Drone Rules, 2021 that we must know?

Every drone, except for those meant for research, development and testing purposes, is required to be registered and should have a Unique Identification Number (UIN)

Drones are required to have the necessary type certification issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)

Drone operations that violate the provisions of the Drone Rules, 2021 are punishable under Rule 49 of the Drone Rules, 2021 as well as provisions of any other law, for the time being in force.

An airspace map of the country is divided into red, yellow and green zones.The operation of drones in red and yellow zones is subject to the approval of Cen Govt and ATC. No approval is required for use of drones in green zones.