Ministry of Civil Aviation releases Draft Drone Policy

In a release, the ministry stated, “Built on the premise of trust, self-certification, and non-intrusive monitoring, the Drone Rules, 2021 will replace the UAS Rules 2021.” 

On Thursday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation released the Draft Drone Rules, 2021. The deadline for public reviews and suggestions on the draft is August 5.

In a release, the ministry stated, “Built on the premise of trust, self-certification, and non-intrusive monitoring, the Drone Rules, 2021 will replace the UAS Rules 2021.”

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The Key approvals in the new drone rules as clarified by the center involve the abolition of approvals for certain criteria, reduction of forms to six from 25 along with relaxation in granting permission.

The ministry notified that it has minimized the fees to nominal levels and it has no connection with the size of the drones. Furthermore, it stated, “Safety features like ‘No permission to take off (NPNT), geofencing, real-time tracking beacon, etc. to be notified in future. A six-month lead time will be provided for compliance.”

The aviation ministry in a release stated, “Digital Sky platform shall be developed as a business-friendly single window online system. There will be the minimal human interface on the digital sky platform and most permission will be self-generated.”

As per reports, the government has phased out the requirement for a pilot license for micro drones (non-commercial use), nano drones for R&D organizations, along with relaxed restrictions on drone operations by foreign-owned companies registered in India.

Some other major points that are to be noted include no security clearance before prior to any registration or license issuance, increased coverage of drones from 300 kg to 500 kg to cove drone taxis, and easier process for transfer and deregistration of drones.

The Ministry clarified, “The maximum penalty under has been reduced to Rs 1 lakh.” It also added that the drone corridors will be developed for cargo deliveries.

The contours of a comprehensive drone policy were reviewed at a high-level meeting headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the previous month. Discussions proceeded on increasing security threats and futuristic challenges that are facing the country.