Govt issues draft rules for drones

News: Directorate General of Civil Aviation(DGCA) has issued draft rules for drones termed The Unmanned Aircraft System(UAS) Rules,2020.

Facts:

Drones or Unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs): It is an unmanned aircraft piloted from a remote pilot station.DGCA has identified multiple categories of drones: Nano (up to 250 g), Micro ( over 250 g), small (2-25 kg), medium (25-150 kg) and large (over 150 kg).

Key Draft Rules:

• Who can Operate Drones? Any Indian Citizen 18 years or above or any company registered in India with Chairman and 2/3rd of board in India.
• Approval: Each drone importer, manufacturer, trader, owner and operator will need to take approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation(DGCA).
• Inspection: DGCA will have powers to inspect a Drone manufacturing or maintenance facility before granting any authorisation under these rules.
• UIN for drones mandatory: No drone can be owned or operated in India unless it has been allotted a Unique Identification Number (UIN), which will be issued by the DGCA.
• Drone Ports: The rules propose establishing dedicated drone ports and corridors in permitted areas.
• Operation of Drones: Only Nano class drones will be allowed to operate in India in general.Further, only a qualified remote pilot will be permitted to operate heavier drones.
• Use of Drones for Food Delivery: Government hasn’t given permission for that yet.