Liberalised Drone Rules, 2021: Ministry of Civil Aviation
Recently, the Liberalised Drone Rules, 2021 have been notified by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
This Drone Manual will replace the Unmanned Aircraft System Manual, 2021 (UAS) issued in March 2021.
The March 2021 rules were repealed on the basis of feedback that they were inherently restrictive. There was a lot of paperwork involved and permission was required from various departments to fly the drone. Also, there were very few ‘free to fly’ green zones.
Key provisions
- Other approval related provisions including Unique Authorization Number and Unique Prototype Identification Number have been done away with.
- The Digital Sky platform will be developed as a user friendly single window system. There will be minimal human interface and most of the permissions will be generated automatically.
- An interactive airspace map with green, yellow and red zones will be displayed on the Digital Sky platform.
- Security features like ‘No Permission-No Take-Off’ (NPNT), real-time tracking beacons, geo-fencing etc. will be notified in future and given six months time for compliance.
- There will be no restriction on drone operation by foreign-owned companies registered in India.
- The import of drones and drone components will be handled by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DOFI).
- The coverage (load limit) of drones has been increased from 300 kg to 500 kg under the Drone Rules, 2021. This will also include drone taxis.
Significance:
- Helping startups to innovate and create business opportunities.
- Ensuring employment generation and economic development in the remote and inaccessible areas of India.
- Encouraging India’s potential to become a global drone hub by 2030.
Source – The Hindu
