Kisan Drones have started a revolution in the agriculture sector with their many uses such as crop assessment, digitisation of land records and spraying of fertilisers and insectisides.
Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia on May 17 interacted with farmers across the country on the benefits and challenges of Kisan Drones. In the program named “Samvaad with Scindia”, the farmers shared their experiences and benefits on using drones as a tool for agriculture. They also raised their issues and asked various questions to the Minister related to drones.
One such issue was about the high fees for a drone pilot training course.
Fees for drone pilot training to reduce
Indicating a revolution in the drone sector within 4 months, the Minister said that the fees for drone pilot training courses will decrease by then, as the number of schools providing this course are going to increase.
In the last six months, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation certified 23 schools for training drone pilots, he added.
Currently, a five to seven days drone pilot training course at DGCA authorised training institutes are usually above Rs 65,000 and less than Rs 1 lakh. A person aged between 18 and 65 with a class tenth certificate from a recognised board can obtain a remote pilot license after completing training at an authorised remote pilot training centre.
In line with the government’s vision to produce more drone pilots, the pilot certification process has been completely decentralised. DGCA now certifies only drone schools and the concerned drone schools will grant certificates to pilots, thereby completely removing the bureaucracy from the process.
In the virtual interaction, the Minister also shared various government policies related to drones and how farmers can benefit from them.
Government policies that supported Drone sector
In 2021, the government notified liberalised Drone Rules and published a Drone Airspace Map which opened nearly 90% of Indian airspace as a green zone. Drone (Amendment) Rules, 2022 abolished the requirement of a drone pilot license for drone operations
With the Drone Certification Scheme 2022, the government made it easier for drone manufacturers to obtain a type certificate. Drone Import Policy, 2022 banned the import of foreign-made drones providing a boost to the domestic manufactures.
As PM Narendra Modi flagged off 100 Kisan drones in February, he assured start-ups engaged in manufacturing Kisan drones that the Centre would devise policies to ensure their success, saying no hindrance would be permitted to obstruct their growth.
Drone Sector; The Future
Under the Swamitva scheme, the accounts of the lands across the country and houses being constructed in the villages, are also being taken care of through drones. Medicines and vaccines are being provided through drones to remote areas. High-capacity drones can help farmers send their fresh vegetables and fruits to the markets in the days to come.
As of February, more than 200 drone start-ups are estimated to be working in the country. With liberalised rules and PLI scheme, the government expects drones and drone components manufacturing industry to attract investments of over INR 5,000 crore before the end of this fiscal and generate over 10,000 direct jobs. Drone services industry is expected to generate over five lakh jobs by the end of 2024.
The government on May 5 had opened the application window for those manufacturers of drones and drone components, who may have crossed the PLI eligibility threshold for the full financial year (1st April 2021 to 31st March 2022).
