Draft drone rules propose to make it easy to operate the aerial vehicles

The government has proposed to further simplify rules for drone operators, reducing the number of permissions and security clearances required to operate the aerial vehicles.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Thursday released the Draft Drone Rules 2021, open for public consultation until August 5. The rules will replace the Un­man­ned Aircraft System Rules, 2021, which came into effect in March. The requirement was felt after the industry said that the existing guidelines were tough to follow for drone companies, many of which are start-ups.

Multiple changes have been proposed. For instance, the number of forms to be filled to seek authorisation before operating a drone has been reduced from 25 to six. Many requirements for app­ro­v­als like unique authorisation number, unique prototype identifica­t­ion number, certificate of conf­o­r­m­ance, certificate of mai­­n­­tenance, import clearance, ac­ceptance of existing drones, ope­rator permit have been ab­­­­olished in the draft rules.

Crucial features of the rules include safety concerns like “no permission, no take-off”, real-time tracking beacon and geo-fencing. A six-month lead time will be provided for compliance.

The new rules, the ministry said, have been built on a premise of trust, self-certification and non-intrusive monitoring.

“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,” said Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

The decision to simplify the licensing requirements, relax operational curbs and reduce penalties for operators was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, just days after a terror attack in Jammu that involved the use of drones, people in the know said. The meeting was at­tended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

“The decision to liberalise the drone policy even after the re­cent drone incident in Jammu showcases the government’s bold approach to promote the use of drone and focus on the development of counter-drone technology to address the threat posed by rogue drones,” said Smit Shah, director, Drone Federation of India.

He said it was encouraging to see that the regulations were formed with a balanced app­roach based on an understanding of the economic benefits that drone technology brings while addressing the safety and security concerns of the country.

As the government liberalises the sector on the one hand, it is also taking deterrence measures against rogue drones. The Indian Air Force has sought to purchase 10 Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (CUASs) —anti-drone systems — specifically from Indian vendors. The Defence Research Development Organisation has developed a counter-drone technology that uses methods like jamming and hard kill systems to detect and neutralise the danger from such aerial attacks.

Amber Dubey, joint secretary at the Ministry of Civil Aviation, who heads the drone division, said the government was working on liberalised drone rules to help home-grown drone start-ups, researchers and operators and develop indigenous counter-drone technology.

“Drones are the future of aviation, logistics, surveillance and warfare. The government shall continue to give full support to the drone ecosystem. Criminals use mobiles and cars, too. One doesn’t shut down manufacturing of cars and mobiles after a crime,” he said, adding that the efforts on intelligence gathering and drone forensics would be redoubled.