Drone promotion and usage policy announced in Gujarat

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New
Delhi,
Aug
11:
The
Gujarat
government
on
Wednesday
unveiled
a
new
policy
for
state
departments
and
organisations
to
promote
the
use
of
drones
for
operations
and
delivery
of
services
to
beneficiaries
and
said
it
seeks
to
create
25,000
employment
opportunities
and
attract
investment.
Chief
Minister
Bhupendra
Patel
unveiled
the
“Drone
Promotion
and
Usage
Policy”
at
a
function
in
the
state
capital
Gandhinagar,
according
to
news
agency
PTI.

The
policy
aims
to
create
a
“vibrant
drone
ecosystem,
including
manufacturing
and
innovation,
by
promoting
the
use
of
drones
for
service
delivery”
and
make
various
public
services
“more
effective,
popular,
efficient
and
faster
with
the
use
of
advanced
technology,”
stated
a
government
release.

It
also
aims
to
create
25,000
direct
and
indirect
employment
opportunities
and
attract
investment
for
development,
operation
and
maintenance
of
drone
services
ecosystem
in
the
state,
it
said.

Deploying
anti-drone
solutions
in
difficult
terrains
require
special
expertise.
Is
India
prepared?

Valid
for
a
period
of
five
years,
the
policy
will
allow
state
government
departments
to
play
a
catalyst
role
to
encourage
commercial
use
of
drones
(remotely
controlled
unmanned
aerial
vehicles).

As
per
the
policy,
within
six
months,
various
state
government
departments,
public
sector
undertakings
(PSUs),
boards
and
organisations
will
formulate
schemes
and
programmes
to
promote
use
of
drones
in
their
respective
domains.

For
its
implementation,
an
empowered
monitoring
committee
of
eight
senior
secretaries
will
be
formed
under
the
chairmanship
of
Additional
Chief
Secretary,
Home
Department.
The
committee
will
meet
periodically
and
monitor
the
initiatives
taken
by
various
departments
and
PSUs
for
drone
promotion
and
usage.

“Private
and
public
investment
in
areas
like
research
and
development-innovation-manufacturing-testing-training
and
safety
regulation
will
be
encouraged
for
widespread
use
of
drones
in
the
state
through
innovative
methods,”
the
release
stated.

As
per
the
policy,
the
user
departments
will
provide
preferences
to
startups,
Make
In
India
companies
and
MSMEs
(micro,
small
&
medium
enterprises)
as
per
procurement
norms
of
the
Government
of
Gujarat.

It
will
also
promote
setting
up
of
training
infrastructure
to
improve
availability
of
qualified
manpower
in
the
state
and
incentivise
startups
and
other
drone
manufacturing
units.

The
policy
also
aims
to
mitigate
risks
and
meet
safety
challenges
by
specifying
prohibited
(no-fly
zone),
restricted
and
open
areas
by
deployment
of
“drone
traffic
police,”
the
release
said.

The
proposed
drone
usage
by
various
departments
has
been
noted
in
the
policy.
For
example,
the
home
department
will
use
drones
in
crowd
management,
for
maintaining
vigil
at
vital
installations,
VVIP,
border
and
coastal
security
and
disaster
management,
among
other
areas.

The
agriculture
department
will
use
it
for
spraying
pesticides,
fertilisers,
sowing
of
seeds,
and
monitoring
soil
quality.
For
the
industries
and
mining
department,
it
would
be
for
surveillance
of
mining
areas
and
mineral
blocks
and
leases.

For
the
health
and
family
welfare
department,
drones
will
be
deployed
for
delivery
of
medical
supplies
and
blood,
while
for
the
forest
department
the
remotely
controlled
unmanned
aircraft
will
be
used
for
lion
census
and
tracking
of
wildlife,
among
other
activities.

Some
of
the
departments
have
already
started
using
drones.

They
were
extensively
used
to
keep
strict
vigil
during
the
recent
Rath
Yatra
by
the
home
department.

The
industries
and
mines
department
has
launched
‘Trinetra’ drones
to
control
illegal
mining.