The Union government announced the Drone Certification Scheme on Wednesday in order to create an ecosystem that will enable simpler, faster and transparent type-certification of drones. The government’s goal is to make India the world’s drone hub by 2030 by notifying the liberalised Drone Rules, 2021, released by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The government has been working to establish a world-leading drone ecosystem in India, according to the notification, which would create the physical and digital infrastructure to facilitate safe, efficient, and secure access to the Indian airspace by millions of drones. Drone Rules 2021 has made it possible to establish a global certification and accreditation framework for drones, which will scale the commercial application of various drone technologies with appropriate safeguards, said the notification.
The government has set up the Digital Sky platform, which is an all-digital process for drone registration and operation. Users must fill out a one-time registration form for their drones, pilots and owners. A user can request permission online for each flight they wish to take in a yellow or red zone. The government had already announced the airspace map, the PLI scheme, and the single-window DigitalSky platform, all of which will aid the growth of India’s drone manufacturing industry.
