Drones Policy and Regulations by DGCA

Drafted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Came into effect from December 1,2018. Drone Regulations 1.0 clarifies where, when and how drones can operate within India.

National Drones Policy-Drone Regulations 1.0

  • With this new policy coming into effect, flying drones or remotely-piloted aircraft have become legal in India.
  • Under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, flying drones or remotely-piloted aircraft have become legal in India.

Need

  • Manufacturing or operation of drones in India being managed by few businesses.

Products and Services provided primarily for

  • Cinematography
  • Agriculture
  • Infrastructure Sectors
  • No regulations in place to guarantee the legality of their products and services
  • Difficult for businesses to attract investors, limiting their ability to grow.
  • The national policy on drone would go a long way in addressing the issue of India not having any indigenous drone manufacturer capability.

Policy highlights

  • The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has designed five different categories of drones as Nano, Micro, Small, Medium, and Large.
  • The Nano drones weighing less than 250 grams or equal does not need a registration or license under the new policy.
  • Digital Sky portal is an online portal and the drones belonging to remaining categories will need to be registered on this portal.
  • It is also a part of an enforcement system designated as No Permission No Takeoff (NPNT) .
  • As a part of the registration procedure, DGCA will issue a Unique Identification Number (UIN) or Unmanned Aircraft Operator՚s Permit (UAOP) .
  • Fresh UIN fee- ₹ 1,000 and fee for a fresh UAOP is ₹ 25,000 which is valid for 5 years.
  • Flying in the green zones will require only intimation of the time and location of the flights via the portal or the app.
  • No flights will be allowed in the red zones and permissions will be required for flying in yellow zones.

Drone Policy 2.0

  • Constitution of a task force.
  • Release of the final report by the end of the year.
  • Includes regulatory architecture for autonomous flying.
  • Delivery via drones.
  • Beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights.

Examrace Team at Aug 22, 2021