Context: The Union civil aviation ministry last week released the draft of the national drone policy, making it significantly easier for people and companies to own and operate drones, while also streamlining a labyrinthine certification process for manufacturers, importers and users, in a move that aims to boost future tech.

• Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia underlined the key highlights of the new policy in a series of tweets on Thursday. The document has now been put up for public inputs till August 5, following which it will be notified. The rules will replace the Unmanned Aircraft System Rules (UAS), 2021, which came into force in March.
• Drones have been in the spotlight since such a device was used to target an Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Jammu with explosives last month. Officials in defence have since said they are working on anti-drone technologies. Typical consumer drones usually have some inbuilt safeguards, which mean not all are unsafe.
• Drones now form a significant new consumer tech category, particularly among hobbyists and visual artists, and are being tested for a range of practical as well as industrial uses such as automated package deliveries by e-commerce companies.
• In this edition of Big Picture we analyse the draft national drone policy.  

Key Points of New Rules

• Number of forms to be filled, reduced: The number of forms to be filled to seek authorisation before operating a drone has been reduced from 25 to six.

Difference in commercial and classified use

• While most drones will need a unique identification number, a certificate of airworthiness (delegated to Quality Council of India), a remote pilot licence for the person controlling the drone and prior permission
• No such approvals will be required for drones used for research and development by entities and educational institutions recognised by the Central government, State governments or Union Territory Administrations, start-ups recognised by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and drone manufacturers having a Goods and Service Tax Identification Number.

Take off from previous rule: Unlike the previous rules, which required drone operators to have a principal place of business within India, and the chairman and at least two-thirds of its directors were required to be citizens of India, in the new proposed rules there are no such restrictions for foreign-owned companies registered in India.

• Import regulation: Import of drones and drone components will be regulated by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
• Security Clearance needed: Drones will also not need security clearance before registration or licence issuance.
• Safety Features: The draft Drone Rules 2021 also have safety features such real-time tracking beacon, and geo-fencing, which are expected to be notified in future and a six-month lead time will be provided for compliance.

Digital sky platform: It is an initiative by MoCA to provide a secure and a scalable platform that supports drone technology frameworks, such as NPNT (no permission, no take-off), designed to enable flight permission digitally and managing unmanned aircraft operations and traffic efficiently.

• Digital sky platform will also be developed as a business-friendly single-window online system with minimal human interference and most permissions will be self-generated.

Airspace Map: The draft Drone Rules 2021 also state that an interactive airspace map with green, yellow, and red zones will be displayed on the digital sky platform:

• While yellow zone has been reduced from 45 km to 12 km from nearby airport perimeter, 
• No flight permission is required up to 400 feet in green zones and up to 200 feet in the area between 8 and 12 km from the airport perimeter.

Micro Drones: No pilot licence will be required for micro drones used for non-commercial use, nano drones and for research and development (R&D) organizations operating such drones.

• Drone Corridors: MoCA will also facilitate development of drone corridors for cargo deliveries and a drone promotion council will be set up to facilitate a business-friendly regulatory regime.

Significance of Drones

• Quality Aerial Imaging: Drones are excellent for taking high-quality 3D aerial photographs and video, and collecting vast amounts of imaging data. 
• Precision: Since unmanned aerial vehicles use GPS (the Global Positioning System), they can be programmed and maneuvered accurately to precise locations. 
• Easily Deployable: advances in control technology, most drones can be deployed and operated with relatively minimal experience. Combined with the relatively low cost of most models, drones are becoming accessible to a wide range of operators. 
• Enhanced Movement: UAVs also have a greater range of movement than manned aircraft. They are able to fly lower and in more directions, allowing them to easily navigate traditionally hard-to-access areas.
• Security: With the appropriate license, operators can use unmanned aerial vehicles to provide security and surveillance to private companies, sporting events, public gatherings, and other venues. 
• Gather valuable data: Drones can also gather valuable data during and after natural disasters to aid in security and recovery efforts.

Key Challenges

• Clear Modus Operandi: Responsibility and division of work should be clear as to Who (the armed forces or the civilian forces) would be responsible for such mechanisms. It is a sub-tactical threat, but requires a strategic response. 
• Funding: Funding from the Government is a problem. Manufacturing at large scales and its deployment will require  a lot of money and strategising.
• Difficult to Differentiate: Counter strategy should be so strong that it is able to differentiate between a bird and an actual drone. Also it should give enough warning to positively identify that it is not a bird, to fire. 
• Easy Access: They are cheap, so anyone can have easy access to them.
• Anonymous: Their anonymous nature is a big risk to know about the origin of the drone. Drone attacks can be launched from within as well. 
• Swarm drones: Swarm drones, where scores of drones overwhelm and confuse detection systems, resulting in some of the drones sneaking through.

Conclusion

• The Ministry of Civil Aviation’s decision to liberalize the drone policy even after the recent drone incidents in Jammu showcases the government’s bold approach to promote the use of drones.
• It focuses on the development of counter-drone technology to address the threat posed by rogue drones.

Road Ahead

• The draft National drone policy is a welcome move and is much required and desired. This should however been done a long time ago, it now seems like a reaction to the drone attack in Jammu earlier this month. What we now need is an implementation plan. Can the DGCA enforce the policies? Do they have the capability and the manpower and what about the jurisdiction? These are the questions that need to be answered. At the local level the policy have to be implemented by the Sps, they need to be adequately trained There is immense potential as far as drones are concerned but all these challenges have to be addressed.