India will become a hub of drone technology : Anurag Singh Thakur, Minister for Information & Broadcasting

India will become a hub of drone technology and India will require at least 1 lakh drone pilots by next year, says Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur.  He was addressing the gathering after flagging of the ‘Drone Yatra 2.0’, in Chennai today

Technology is truly transforming the world at a rapid rate and it has never been more relevant than now as its applications are solving some of the most pressing problems on the planet, said the Minister. He said “Prime Minister Modi once remarked that ‘India has a billion solutions to a million problems.’ As the country of a billion plus people, India is increasingly leveraging technology to stay ahead of the curve”.

Detailing the advancements in drone technology in India, he said that during the Beating Retreat, the entire nation was mesmerised by the spectacular display of 1000 ‘Made in India’ drones by Indian start-up ‘Botlab Dynamics’ led by an IIT alumni. As a part of the SWAMITVA scheme (Survey of villages and mapping with improvised technology in village areas), the survey of the land and houses are being prepared through drones in the villages, he added. Drones are increasingly being used to sprinkle pesticides and nano fertilizers in the fields in rural villages.

He said that recently, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had granted conditional exemption to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the deployment of drones for live aerial cinematography of the India Cricket Season in 2021.

He remarked that as part of the “Kisan Drone Yatra”, inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi 100 Kisan Drones were sent to villages across the country to spray pesticides. He quoted the PM Modi’s remark that, “Kisan Drone is now the beginning of a new age revolution in this direction.”

He appreciated the great effort made by Garuda Aerospace, India’s largest Drone Manufacturing Facility. While visiting the facility Minister witnessed the advanced tools & manufacturing process of Garuda Kisan Drones which PM Modi had inaugurated earlier this year. He expressed his happiness regarding the achievement made by the facility in such a short time. Engineers in the facility explained the minister in detail, the workings of the advanced ‘Make in India’ Drones.

He reiterated the government commitment to promote the use of technology in the agriculture sector in order to increase farm production. It is envisaged that these drones will help in streamlining the use of pesticides in farms, which will further improve the profitability of our farmers.

In May this year, PM Modi had inaugurated India’s biggest Drone Festival – Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022, wherein he had interacted with Kisan drone pilots. Promotion of drone technology is another medium of advancing our commitment to good governance and ease of living.

He said today, Drone technology is essential for various fields from defence to agriculture and health to entertainment. India is also moving towards creating a strong drone manufacturing ecosystem in the country through schemes like Production Linked Incentive (PLI), he added

He said that Modi Government strives to boost the demand for cutting-edge drone technology and services in a three pronged approach. Effective policy that is the new Drone Rules, 2021; providing incentive in the form of PLI for Drones and Drone Components; And creating indigenous demand wherein 12 Ministries of the Central government have been given the task to take it forward.