Come this October, drones for civilian purposes may turn into a reality

Airplanes and birds are soon to be joined by unmanned aerial vehicles over Indian skies. With the Civil Aviation Ministry working to put in place a regulatory framework, drones for civilian purposes may soon be a reality .

The sale and purchase of drones in currently restricted by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India.

Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey, told PTI, the ministry is working on putting in place a system wherein registration and flying permission for civilian drones are done online.


In November 2017, the ministry came out with draft norms for operating drones for civilian purposes.

According to the draft regulations, drones would require unique identification numbers while nano drones -- those weighing below 250 grams -- would be exempt from seeking one time approval.

Various restrictions have been proposed to ensure that the drones are used only for valid purposes. There would be 'no drone zones' that includes 50 kilometres from the international border.

A 13-member task force, headed by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, is in the process of preparing a road map for the implementation of unmanned aerial vehicle technology.

The task force would prepare a road map, including "outcomes, time lines, implementation & review mechanism and measurable metrics" for the implementation of UAV technology. Besides, the role of the industry would be clearly delineated, the ministry had said in a release in April.