While a state-run institute in Delhi has drawn up plans to use drones for crop survey in four states, the use of such machines in India continues to be prohibited by the Centre till a policy governing their employment in the civilian sector is issued.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the national regulator functioning under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is formulating a policy in association with the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Home Affairs that would put into place rules, regulations and operating guidelines for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), popularly referred to as drones, for civilian applications.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, had stated last month that the armed forces, paramilitary organisations and other government authorities concerned have been in constant discussions on the issue and a holistic policy is expected to be issued next year.
Some recent incidents such as a fast food joint using a UAV to deliver a pizza in Mumbai and two real estate agents using a similar machine for aerial photography has raised security concerns. According to reports, the Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre is planning to survey Rabi crop in Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra this winter.
09/12/15 Vijay Mohan/The Tribune
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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the national regulator functioning under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is formulating a policy in association with the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Home Affairs that would put into place rules, regulations and operating guidelines for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), popularly referred to as drones, for civilian applications.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, had stated last month that the armed forces, paramilitary organisations and other government authorities concerned have been in constant discussions on the issue and a holistic policy is expected to be issued next year.
Some recent incidents such as a fast food joint using a UAV to deliver a pizza in Mumbai and two real estate agents using a similar machine for aerial photography has raised security concerns. According to reports, the Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre is planning to survey Rabi crop in Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra this winter.
09/12/15 Vijay Mohan/The Tribune
