New Delhi: It's raining UAVs in India. After years of delay, the government is set to issue at least half-a-dozen licences for manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to private players, although civilian use still remains a closed area.
Sources in the government told TOI that the department of telecommunications, which was the main stumbling block, has agreed to allow the UAV manufacturers to use the spectrum band allocated to defence forces, paving the way for issuing licences.
During the UPA regime, it was the defence ministry which was holding up proposals as it did not want the private sector to enter the defence production arena, even if no foreign investment was permitted. But, a change of guard at the Centre and the BJP government's push to cut the import bill by allowing private participation in the defence sector seems to have paved the way for a consensus between the ministries, at least on the issue of UAVs.
04/10/14 Sidhartha/Times of India
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Sources in the government told TOI that the department of telecommunications, which was the main stumbling block, has agreed to allow the UAV manufacturers to use the spectrum band allocated to defence forces, paving the way for issuing licences.
During the UPA regime, it was the defence ministry which was holding up proposals as it did not want the private sector to enter the defence production arena, even if no foreign investment was permitted. But, a change of guard at the Centre and the BJP government's push to cut the import bill by allowing private participation in the defence sector seems to have paved the way for a consensus between the ministries, at least on the issue of UAVs.
04/10/14 Sidhartha/Times of India
