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he drone industry is expected to see huge growth with the government announcing various schemes and projects to encourage the use of drones.
Smit Shah, Director, Drone Federation of India said that “The very fact that drones have been mentioned many times in the union budget says that the government is focused on promoting this technology.”
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government is looking at promoting the positive usage of ‘Kisan Drones’ for crop assessment, digitization of land records, spraying of insecticides, and nutrients.
“Further the use of drones in the agriculture sector and that combined with the recent subsidy announced by the ministry of agriculture will help in mechanising the agriculture sector and aid the farming community in a big way,” Shah added.
“India with its vast natural resources spanning from agriculture, minerals, and great infrastructure is finally getting the much-required momentum to become digital. These announcements will enable the drone industry to collaborate with our farmers to improve operational efficiency and maximize profitability. This is a welcoming move and will make India’s agricultural sector future ready,” Mughilan Thiru Ramasamy, CEO & Co-founder Skylark Drones.
Drone-As-A-Service
The Union Budget 2022 also announced that startups will be promoted to facilitate ‘Drone Shakti’ through varied applications and for Drone-As-A-Service (DrAAS). “In select ITIs, in all states, the required courses for skilling, will be started,” Sitharaman said.
“The budget duly recognizes the key role drone technology is playing in solving some really tough to solve problems for sectors like land records, infrastructure, mining, disaster management, and agriculture. In Budget 2022, the announcement of the ‘Drone Shakti’ program will continue to strengthen the sector further making it at least a $5B market in India available primarily for domestic companies.” Vipul Singh, Co-founder and CEO, AUS said.
In her speech, the Finance Minister said that there were seven sectors which were ‘sunrise sectors including Geospatial Systems and Drones. She said these sectors “‘have immense potential to assist sustainable development at scale and modernize the country. They provide employment opportunities for youth, and make Indian industry more efficient and competitive.”
Shah said that the drone education which is going to contribute to high-value and skilled jobs. This will help the young students in a big way to build a career in an emerging sector.
PLI scheme
Furthermore, the announcement of Drone Rules 2021, the PLI scheme for the drone industry, and subsidies for drones to be used for agriculture applications have provided a fillip to the sector.
On the flipside, Shah said that “Now everyone has to work cohesively, that the announcement of the liberal drone policy does not become a one of event but there is a continues dialogue between the government and the players, along with proactive steps.”
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