Govt nods usage of drones for 10 firms for various purposes

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has granted conditional permission for drone usage to 10 organisations for various purposes. The ministry told the media that the Government of Karnataka (GoK) is one of the ten organisations, and it has received permission to conduct a drone-based aerial survey for generating urban property ownership records in Bengaluru. Mahindra and Mahindra Limited have got permission from MoCA to conduct drone-based agricultural trials and utilise drones for accurate spraying on paddy and hot pepper crops in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The ministry said that the Gujarat-based Blue Ray aviation and Telangana-based Asia Pacific flight training academy (APFTAL) has got permission to conduct remote pilot training using drones. The ministry said that Bayer Crop Science (BCS) has got permission from MoCA to conduct drone-based agricultural research activities and use drones for agricultural spraying. The national health mission in Mumbai has also got permission to conduct experimental beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) drone flights to deliver necessary healthcare items in tribal regions of Maharashtra's Jawhar in the Palghar district. As per the ministry's statement, Gangtok smart city development Limited (GSCDL) has got permission for a drone-based aerial survey for its smart city project. Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has been permitted to use drones to conduct steel plant's perimeter surveillance in Burnpur, West Bengal. Chennai-based Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE) has got permission to conduct drone-based aerial spraying to evaluate crop health and prevent crop disease. The ministry asked the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) to conduct atmospheric research at five different locations in the country. It has given a conditional exemption to 10 organisations from the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) Rules, 2021, and it is valid for a year from the approval date or until further orders, the ministry said. Image Source Also read: Ministry of Aviation issues draft rules to ease drone usage in India