NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi while inaugurating the ‘Bharat Drone Mahotsav’ at Pragati Maidan highlighted how drones will play an important role across all sectors in India. “Be it disaster management, agriculture, surveillance, media or tourism; drones will revolutionise how services are provided to the public and also make life easy while providing government services,” said PM Modi. He mentioned that around 65 lakh property cards were issued after drones helped in digital mapping. “Drone technology is taking away human interference in agriculture while providing government services.”
“I rely on drone video footage to track development of regions,” added PM Modi. He highlighted that drones can play a big role in tracking development across the country in real-time without the requirement of field officers visiting places physically.
PM Modi also invited startups and manufacturers to make India a hub for drone technology. “We have reduced unnecessary rules and roadblocks for the adoption of drones in the country. Drones can help in policing, traffic management, planting of new trees in remote areas and more…drones will change the way our country functions. Drone will aid in technology-driven delivery of services across India,” he said.
As for the new rules around drones, after the government banned the import of drones in India, the civil aviation ministry has made another major change to the new drone laws in the country. It has, in fact, made it easier for people to fly small drones legally for non-commercial purposes. The government has now announced the Drone (Amendment) Rules, 2022 which says that remote pilot certificate (earlier it was called licence) will not be required for flying small to medium size drones of up to 2kg for non-commercial purposes.
Also, those who are flying drones that are beyond 2kg in weight or for commercial purposes no longer need to get a ‘Remote Pilot Licence’ to legally fly. Instead, they simply require a Remote Pilot Certificate. This certificate can be issued by an authorised remote pilot training organisation to any individual, as per the new law. This is a major step to make things easier for drone enthusiasts in the country. Also, it is expected to give a boost in drone deliveries in the country.
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