India government issues draft rules to ease using drones in country

INDIA'S ministry of civil aviation has come up with draft rules to ease using drones in the country on the basis of "trust, self-certification and non-intrusive monitoring”, an official statement on Thursday (15) said.

It said the number of forms to be filled to operate drones in India have been reduced to six in the draft ‘Drone Rules, 2021’ in comparison to 25 forms mentioned in the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021. Once notified, the Drone Rules, 2021, will supersede the UAS Rules, 2021, which came into force in March.

The fee, as per the draft rules, has also been reduced to nominal levels and de-linked from the size of the drone, the statement added.

The statement also said the draft rules have abolished the requirement of various approvals, including the certificate of conformance, certificate of maintenance, import clearance, acceptance of existing drones, student remote pilot licence, etc.

Indian civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who recently took over, said the draft rules mark a “stark shift” from the UAS Rules, 2021.

Drones bringing next big tech revolution: Scindia

“Drones are bringing the next big tech revolution around the globe with reduced costs, resources and time taken for operations. It is upon us to ride on the new wave and facilitate its uptake, especially among our startups,” he said on Twitter.

No flight permission, as per the draft rules, will be required up to 400 feet in green zones and up to 200 feet in the area between 8 and 12 km from the airport perimeter. The draft rules have also asked for an easier process for drones’ transfer and deregistration.

“The draft rules have been built on a premise of trust, self-certification and non-intrusive monitoring,” the civil aviation ministry stated.

The draft rules said drone corridors will also be developed for cargo deliveries while a drone promotion council will be set up to facilitate drone-friendly regulatory regime in the country.

The last date for the public to submit comments on the draft rules is August 5.