The ecosystem for drones in India is set to evolve,

With many recent initiatives such as…

Notification of ‘liberalized drone rules’,

launch of ‘interactive airspace maps’,

‘Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) for drones and their components,

Drone Shakti Scheme to promote ‘drones-as –a-service’ (DrAAS),

Agriculture drones, …

This month, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Government of India has prohibited the import of drones with exceptions.

However, import for defence & security purposes shall be allowed.

And also be allowed by the government entities and educational institutions and drone manufacturers for R&D purpose.

Moreover, import of drone components shall be ‘Free’.

Will this prohibition encourage ‘assembly of drones’ in India?

Will this lead India to emerge as a ‘drone hub’?

Bal Krishna, Editor

bal@mycoordinates.org