Drone Shakti Initiative Will help The Industry To Grow, Says Industry

The 'Drone Shakti' initiative was unveiled by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman yesterday, in her budget announcement. The initiative aimed at commercializing the usage of drones in various industries will be supported by entrepreneurs. Sector leaders anticipate the drones-as-a-service (DRaaS) model to help integrate India's fragmented drone industry and encourage manufacturers and service providers to collaborate.

"Startups will be encouraged to help Drone Shakti through a variety of apps including DraaS. The requisite skilling courses will begin in chosen ITIs across all states," she stated. She emphasized that the project will also aid in the development of DraaS. The essential training to upskill individuals on the usage of drone technology would be initiated. Drone Shakti will be facilitated by start-ups offering 'drones-as-a-service,' according to the government.

In August of last year, the government issued a more flexible set of laws for the use of drones. A security check is not necessary before any registration or license issuing for the operating of drones, according to the Drone Rules 2021. The fees for licenses to use drones were also cut as a result of the new laws. After the liberalization of the Drone Rule in 2021, the sector received a significant boost with the announcement of Drone Shakti in the Union Budget.

Speaking on the Drone Shakti Initiative, Smit Shah, president of the Drone Federation of India, Said, Given the high cost of emerging technologies and the fact that most customers don't understand how to use them, DRaaS will allow service providers to pass on the benefits of technology to customers across all industries without having to invest in capital.