The Indian government has granted conditional permission to certain organisations for drone use.
According to a PIB India report, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have granted conditional exemption from Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021 to ten organisations.
The exemptions are valid for a period of one year from the date of approval or until further orders, whichever is earlier and shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the SOP issued by DGCA.
The Government of Karnataka is among the ten organisations and it has received permission to conduct a “drone-based aerial survey for creating urban property ownership records in Bengaluru.”
Mahindra and Mahindra, Mumbai, Maharashtra has got permission to conduct drone-based agricultural trials and precision spraying on paddy and hot pepper crops in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh respectively.
Telangana-based Asia Pacific Flight Training Academy and Gujarat-based Blue Ray Aviation have acquired permission for conducting remote pilot training using drones.
Mumbai’s National Health Mission has received permission “for conducting experimental BVLOS drone flights to deliver essential healthcare items in tribal areas of Jawhar in Palghar district of Maharashtra.”
Gangtok Smart City Development will conduct a drone-based aerial survey for Smart City Project. The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune will conduct atmospheric research at five locations.
Other organisations that have received permission for drone use include Bayer Crop Science, Maharashtra; Steel Authority of India, IISCO Steel Plant, Burnpur, West Bengal and Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited, Chennai.
