How India is boosting its drone technology
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How India is boosting its drone technology
March 03, 2022
Over the years, the world has advanced incredibly when it comes to technological development. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), popularly known as ‘Drones’, have been widely accepted in several industries. India too has adopted the use of drones and under the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the Government of India is promoting the technology. Let us take a look at a few initiatives of the Government that promote the use of drone technology.
- SVAMITVA Scheme (Survey of villages and mapping with improvised technology in village areas) is an initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj that would ensure the right of rural people to document their respective properties. The mapping of land is being done using drones and it is being targeted that by March 2025, all the villages across the country shall be covered under the Scheme. The use of technology in mapping would also ensure a digital database of rural lands if required for future development projects.
- Liberalization in Drone Rules in the year 2021 has ensured that Indian entrepreneurs and start-ups can participate on a global scale in terms of the development of drone technology and its efficient usage. This is an improvement on the initial set of rules published by the Ministry of Civil Aviation earlier in 2021 which were relatively restrictive. These relaxations could provide the impetus for India to expand technologically and develop into a global drone hub by 2030.
- Approval of the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Drones and Drone Components by the Government is a follow-up to the liberalization in drone rules. This will help with the progression of drone technology, which is still in the relatively early stage, by providing incentives to manufacturers. The Scheme has been put into place to incentivize more and more companies to invest in this technology that could benefit multiple sectors, such as agriculture, mining, infrastructure, surveillance, geo-spatial mapping, healthcare, and so on.
- Hara Bhara Campaign by the Telangana Government is an initiative to promote reforestation using drone technology. The aerial seeding will be done by seedcopter drone (drones capable of dispersing seeds over agricultural land). The Government has partnered with Marut Drones (a private company) to conduct this massive campaign to deter ecological calamity.
- Gwalior Drone Mela was cooperatively organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) at Madhav Institute of Technology and Science (MITS), Gwalior under the celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. It was a conclave of investors, manufacturers, farmers and students who are interested in the usage of drones in various sectors. Exhibition stalls were set up by various organizations to showcase applications of drones. During the event, it was also announced that five drone schools are to be set-up in Madhya Pradesh.
- Kisan Drone Yatra was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi marking a new phase in agricultural development. 100 Kisan drones were launched from 100 places across the country for spraying pesticides and addressing other issues in the rural areas. The Prime Minister also congratulated Garuda Aerospace for the success of this initiative. It has also been said by Garuda Aerospace that they would make 1 lakh Made in India drones in the next two years.