It will open up new possibilities for innovation and business. It will help leverage India’s strengths in innovation, technology and engineering to make India a drone hub
The aviation ministry has eased rules to operate drones in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter that the new drone rules usher in a landmark moment for the sector in India. The rules have also abolished the requirement of various approvals, including certificate of conformance, certificate of maintenance, import clearance, acceptance of existing drones, operator permit, authorisation of R&D organisation and student remote pilot licence.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has reduced the number of forms that need to be filled to operate them from 25 to 5 and decreased the types of fees charged from the operator from 72 to 4.
“The rules are based on the premise of trust and self-certification. Approvals, compliance requirements and entry barriers have been significantly reduced,” he stated.
The Drone Rules, 2021, supersede the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021, which had come into force on March 12.
The prime minister said the new rules would tremendously help start-ups and youth working in this sector.
“It will open up new possibilities for innovation and business. It will help leverage India’s strengths in innovation, technology and engineering to make India a drone hub,” he mentioned.
According to the new rules, the fee has been reduced to nominal levels and de-linked from the size of the drone.
For example, the fee for a remote pilot license has been reduced for Rs 3,000 (for a large drone) to Rs 100 for all categories of drones, and it is valid for ten years.
No flight permission will be required for up to 400 feet in “green zones” and up to 200 feet in the area between 8 and 12 km from the airport perimeter, the new rules stated.
“Green zones” are the airspace up to a vertical distance of 400 feet that have not been designated as red zone or yellow zone in the airspace map.
An interactive airspace map with green, yellow and red zones shall be displayed on the digital sky platform within 30 days of publication of these new rules.
The rules also stated that there would be no restriction on drone operations by foreign-owned companies registered in India
The Drone Rules, 2021, have also prescribed easier processes for the transfer and deregistration of drones. No pilot licence will be required for micro drones (for non-commercial use) and nano drones, the rules mentioned, adding that the maximum penalty for violations have been reduced to Rs 1 lakh.
According to the new rules, the type certificate and unique identification number will be required only when a drone is to be operated in India.
Drone corridors will be developed for cargo deliveries and a drone promotion council will be set up to facilitate drone-friendly regulatory regime in the country, according to the draft rules.
The rules also stated that there would be no restriction on drone operations by foreign-owned companies registered in India.
Digital sky platform will be developed as a business-friendly single-window online system, the new rules mentioned.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Twitter that the the new drone rules will trigger a revolution in the logistics and transportation sector and create change ripples across sectors such as agriculture, healthcare and mining.
“It (new drone rules) will also provide a launchpad to our start-ups who are ready to lead this revolution from the front,” he mentioned.
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