'No proposal with DGCA for allowing commercial use of drones'

There is no proposal at present with aviation regulator DGCA for allowing commercial use of drones in the country, government said today.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has recently put out draft guidelines for obtaining Unique Identificiation Number (UIN) for operations of civil drones and unmanned aircraft system, after consultations with various stakeholders including the security agencies.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma informed the Lok Sabha that civil use of drones by non-government agencies, organisations or individuals is restricted.
This is being done to "regulate unwarranted use of drones and for the safety of manned aircraft/ air space and personnel until regulations for drones are in place," he said in a written reply.

To a query on whether the government proposes to allow commercial use of drones in any part of the country on pilot basis, Sharma said, "currently, there is no such proposal with DGCA".
For using drones, government organisations have to get a no-objection certificate from the DGCA.

As per the draft guidelines issued last month, DGCA would register all civil unmanned aircraft and issue an Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit (UAOP) on a case-to-case basis.
Currently, aircraft rules do not cover use of drones as well as their sale and purchase.
Meanwhile, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has not yet issued standards and recommended practices for certification and operation of civil drones.