New Delhi:
Air taxis that will traverse the airspace instead of roads will be very much possible in the coming days under the drone rules announced on Thursday, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said.
"Air taxis are being researched and invented globally and many startups are coming up," the minister said during a press conference here.
"That time is not far when taxis, like the ones of Uber etc that you see on roads, you will see in the air under the drone policy. I believe this is very much possible," he added.
The minister said that the Defence Ministry, the Home Ministry and BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) have been working together so that "counter rogue drone technology" can be developed and adopted quickly.
In a notification dated August 25, the Ministry of Civil Aviation eased the rules regarding drone operations in the country by reducing the number of forms that need to be filled to operate them from 25 to 5 and decreasing the types of fees charged from the operator from 72 to 4.
Based on the feedback, the government decided to repeal the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021 and replace the same with the liberalised Drone Rules, 2021.
Scindia has said that the government's aim is to make India a global drone hub by 2030.
Prime Minister, Modi has said that the new Drone Rules usher in a landmark moment for this sector in India. He also said that the new Drone Rules will tremendously help start-ups and our youth working in this sector.
In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister said;
"The new Drone Rules usher in a landmark moment for this sector in India. The rules are based on the premise of trust and self-certification. Approvals, compliance requirements and entry barriers have been significantly reduced.
The new Drone Rules will tremendously help start-ups and our youth working in this sector. It will open up new possibilities for innovation & business. It will help leverage India’s strengths in innovation, technology & engineering to make India a drone hub."
With the government releasing liberalised rules to make India a drone hub, Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola has said that counter-drone strategies will also be developed as the drone industry develops in the country.
"As the drone industry develops, we will also be developing the counter-drone measures along with that," Kharola told ANI in an exclusive interview. He said a large number of safety and security features are there in the liberalised Drone Rules, 2021 which were notified on Thursday.
"A large number of safety and security features have been built-in. But at the same time, the main thrust has been that this policy is based on the philosophy of self-certification, self-control and non-intrusive monitoring, be that as it may," he said. Kharola said the most important feature of this drone policy is that it seeks to promote the manufacture and usage of drones.
"It's true that drones, may at times, pose security challenge. Even that issue, to the extent possible, has been addressed in this policy," he said. He said the most important feature of this drone policy is that it seeks to promote the manufacture and usage of drones.
"We have created the enabling environment for that purpose," he said. The new rules state that manufacturers and importers may generate their drones' unique identification number on the digital sky platform through the self-certification route.
They state that testing of drones for issuance of Type Certificate to be carried out by Quality Council of India or authorised testing entities and Type Certificate is required only when a drone is to be operated in India. Importing and manufacturing drones purely for exports are exempt from type certification and unique identification number. Nano and model drones (made for research or recreation purposes) are exempt from type certification.
Safety and security features like 'No permission – no takeoff' (NPNT), real-time tracking beacon, geo-fencing will be notified in future and a six-month lead time will be provided to the industry for compliance. Kharola said the policy has the capability "of distinguishing a good drone from a bad drone".
Noting that drones have an immense potential of being used in various sectors, he said they can be used in mining and survey. "Best example is that we had locust attack last year which was tackled by drones," he said.
He noted that vaccines can be delivered using drones, especially in difficult terrain. Kharola said development of drone industry will lead to employment opportunities.
"There is huge potential in manufacturing, research and operation of drones. All these new employment sectors will emerge," he said. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) had published the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021 in March this year. They were perceived by academia, startups, end-users and other stakeholders as being restrictive in nature as they involved considerable paperwork, required permissions for every drone flight and very few "free to fly" green zones were available.
30 key features of Drone Rules 2021
-Built on a premise of trust, self-certification and non-intrusive monitoring.
-Designed to usher in an era of super-normal growth while balancing safety and security considerations.
Several approvals abolished: unique authorisation number, unique prototype identification number,certificate of manufacturing and airworthiness, certificate of conformance, certificate of maintenance, import clearance, acceptance of existing drones, operator permit, authorisation of R&D organisation, student remote pilot licence, remote pilot instructor authorisation, drone port authorisation etc.
-Quantum of fee reduced to nominal levels and delinked with size of drone. For instance, the fee for a remote pilot license fee has been reduced from Rs 3000 (for large drone) to Rs 100 for all categories of drones; and is valid for 10 years.
-Digital sky platform shall be developed as a user-friendly single-window system. There will be minimal human interface and most permissions will be self-generated.
-Interactive airspace map with green, yellow and red zones shall be displayed on the digital sky platform within 30 days of publication of these rules.
-No permission required for operating drones in green zones. Green zone means the airspace upto a vertical distance of 400 feet or 120 metre that has not been designated as a red zone or yellow zone in the airspace map; and the airspace upto a vertical distance of 200 feet or 60 metre above the area located between a lateral distance of 8 and 12 kilometre from the perimeter of an operational airport.
-Yellow zone reduced from 45 km to 12 km from the airport perimeter.
-No remote pilot licence required for micro drones (for non-commercial use) and nano drones.
-No requirement for security clearance before issuance of any registration or licence.
-No requirement of Type Certificate, unique identification numberand remote pilot licence by R&D entities operating drones in own or rented premises, located in a green zone.
-No restriction on foreign ownership in Indian drone companies.
-Import of drones to be regulated by DGFT.
-Requirement of import clearance from DGCA abolished.
-Coverage of drones under Drone Rules, 2021 increased from 300 kg to 500 kg. This will cover drone taxis also.
-DGCA shall prescribe drone training requirements, oversee drone schools and provide pilot licences online.
-Remote pilot licence to be issued by DGCA within 15 days of pilot receiving the remote pilot certificate from the authorised drone school through the digital sky platform.
-Testing of drones for issuance of Type Certificate to be carried out by Quality Council of India or authorised testing entities.
-Type Certificate required only when a drone is to be operated in India. Importing and manufacturing drones purely for exportsare exempt from type certification and unique identification number.
-Nano and model drones (made for research or recreation purposes) are exempt from type certification.
-Manufacturers and importers may generate their drones’ unique identification number on the digital sky platform through the self-certification route.
-Easier process specified for transfer and deregistration of drones through the digital sky platform.
-Drones present in India on or before 30 Nov 2021 will be issued a unique identification number through the digital sky platform provided, they have a DAN, a GST-paid -invoice and are part of the list of DGCA-approved drones.
-Standard operating procedures (SOP) and training procedure manuals (TPM) will be prescribed by DGCA on the digital sky platform for self-monitoring by users. No approvals required unless there is a significant departure from the prescribed procedures.
-Maximum penalty for violations reduced to INR 1 lakh.
-Safety and security features like ‘No permission – no takeoff’ (NPNT), real-time tracking beacon, geo-fencing etc. to be notified in future. A six-month lead time will be provided to the industry for compliance.
-Drone corridors will be developed for cargo deliveries.
-0Drone promotion council to be set up by Government with participation from academia, startups and other stakeholders to facilitate a growth-oriented regulatory regime.