India Creating Effective Drone Aviation To Enable the Greater Good

1. Drone technology will bring those living at the margins to the center of development.
2. There are plans to use drones to map thousands of villages which will give India’s drone industry a massive boost.
3. In the present-day use, drones would be effective in providing vaccines, resulting in an increase of the vaccination drive.

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Addressing the session on “Drones for Public Good – Mass Awareness Program,” jointly organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and development finance institutions (DFI) in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, Mr. Scindia said technology promotion is crucial and drone technology will bring those living at the margins to the center of development. “Drones play a crucial role in connecting the people from the length and breadth of the country,” he said.

India as a country, said Mr. Scindia, has generally been a follower in the evolution of innovation or technology. This is the first time we are looking at being leaders, said the Civil Aviation Minister.

The new drone rules, accompanied at a very short period with the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for drones, gives the nascent industry of domestic manufacturing a huge boost. “A 40 percent value addition threshold for the sector gives a unique advantage to get off to a flying start,” said Mr. Scindia.

He further mentioned that for any technology to succeed it requires 3 steps – policy structure, funding incentive, and demand structure. The Indian Government, he further stated, under the Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) scheme plans to use drones to map thousands of villages which will give India’s drone industry a massive boost.

India has some very hard-to-reach territories, and drones would be effective in providing vaccines, resulting in an increase of the vaccination drive, added the minister. “The government is already working as an anchor customer by the usage of vaccines and mapping and creating the demand structure for the drone technology in India,” said Mr. Scindia. The government approved PLI Scheme for the drone industry will bring fresh investments and boost employment in India, said the minister. He said that drone technology is on the runaway and urged the industry bodies to help the technology take off.

Mr. Rajan Luthra, Chair of the FICCI Committee on Drones and Chairman’s Office – Head of Special Projects, Reliance Industries, Ltd., said that agriculture is one of the most important sectors in India with huge market potential and the usage of drones for agriculture will deliver significant benefits to the farmers and common man.

Mr. Vignesh Santhanam, Aerospace and Drones, World Economic Forum, said drones should bolster the agri research system to support the sector through increased produce and upskilling of rural populations for secure livelihoods while being a lighthouse for fourth IR tech.

Mr. Smit Shah, Director of Partnerships, DFI, said, “We welcome the efforts of the Minister as a partner of this industry.”