Dr.

Parveen Kaur Nagpal

DRONES

The word ‘drone’ refers primarily to unmanned aircrafts or ships guided by

remote control or onboard computers
Drone is basically an aircraft that does not have a pilot but is controlled by
someone on the ground
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
AERIAL SHOT OF PIC TAKEN FROM DRONE
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
DRONES IN INDIA

India first used military drones during the 1999 Kargil war with Pakistan
where Israel supplied India with IAI Heron and Searcher drones for
reconnaissance (military observation to locate an enemy). Since then India
has procured numerous Israeli military unmanned aircraft.
India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has also
developed its own domestic Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or Unmanned
Aircraft Systems (UAS) program. The project aims to develop a domestic
arsenal (collection of military equipment) to replace and augment the
existing fleet of unmanned vehicles.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
RULES FOR FLYING A DRONE IN INDIA (REGULATORY POLICIES)

In December 2018, the government of India introduced new policies and
regulations surrounding the use of drones by private citizens of India. Overturning
the ban on UAVs since 2014, the laws dictate that Indian citizens can fly drones
with payloads up to 249 gms (falling in the category of nano drones) without
having to register for Unique Identification Number (UIN). For flights with larger
than 250 gms payload (micro, small, medium and large drones up to 150 kg), one
would need a UIN, which costs Rs 1,000 and a permit to operate the drones,
costing Rs 25,000.
The Indian government has launched a portal called ‘Digital Sky’ for registering
drones and obtain a UIN and the operator’s permit i.e. request permission to fly
for each flight
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
RULES FOR FLYING A DRONE IN INDIA (REGULATORY POLICIES)

A drone task-force was constituted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation under the
chairmanship of Hon’ble Minister of State for Civil Aviation. Accordingly, based on
the recommendations of the task force, the Drone Ecosystem Policy Roadmap
(“Drone Policy 2.0”) was released by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on January 15,
2019. Drone Policy 2.0 aims to further relax the regulations introduced by the
Indian Government.
Drone pilots must maintain a direct visual line of sight at all times while flying.
Drones cannot be flown more than 400 feet vertically.
Drones cannot be flown in areas specified as “No Fly Zones”, which include areas
near airports, international borders, State Secretariat Complex in State Capitals,
strategic locations, and military installations etc.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
RULES FOR FLYING A DRONE IN INDIA (REGULATORY POLICIES)

Permission to fly in controlled airspace can be obtained by filing a flight

plan and obtaining a unique Air Defense Clearance (ADC)/Flight Information
Center (FIC) number.
Before every single flight, drone pilots are required to request permission
to fly via a mobile app, which will automatically process the request and
grant or reject it. India is calling their system “No Permission, No Takeoff”
(NPNT). If a drone pilot tries to fly without receiving permission from the
Digital Sky Platform, he or she will simply not be able to take off.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
DRONE CATEGORIES IN INDIA

Registration is required for all but the Nano category.

Nano: Less than or equal to 250 grams (.55 pounds)

Micro: From 250 grams (.55 pounds) to 2kg (4.4 pounds)
Small: From 2kg (4.4 pounds) to 25kg (55 pounds)
Medium: From 25kg (55 pounds) to 150kg (330 pounds)
Large: Greater than 150kg (33 pounds)
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
DRONE POLICY OF GOI

According to India’s national aviation authority, the Ministry of Civil

Aviation, flying a drone is legal in India, but it is recommended to be aware
of and compliant with the drone regulations.
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced the
country’s first Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) for drones on August 27,
2018 to go into effect December 1, 2018.
Foreigners are currently not allowed to fly drones in India. For commercial
purposes, they need to lease the drone to an Indian entity who in-turn will
obtain Unique Identification Number (UIN) and UAOP from DGCA.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
DRONE POLICY OF GOI

The Union civil aviation ministry of India has made public the draft note for Drone
policy 2.0, focusing majorly on Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. The
draft note talks about rules and regulations that will bind operations of drones in
public spaces, especially on a commercial scale.
It further noted that rules governing operations of drones will either be “introduced
as an amendment to the existing Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) 1.0 or it may also
be introduced as a separate set of Civil Aviation Requirements notwithstanding the
conditions laid down under CAR 1.0”.
“India is set to become a global leader as far as the drone ecosystem is concerned.
It is important for us to have a policy road map and regulations that support the
growth of the drone ecosystem,” said Jayant Sinha, MoS for Civil Aviation.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
DRAFT DRONE POLICY 2.0
Drone policy 2.0 envisages setting up an automatic air traffic management system
which will have control over the drone and can bring it down if it detects any violation of
the flight plan. It mandates drone users to register drones, requires pilots to get a pilot
license followed by an operator permit.
The Minister of Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha released the draft Drone Policy 2.0 on 15th
January, 2019. (Drone policy 2.0 was announced on 21/01/2019)
This is a recommendation and the policy will be finalized by a task force led by the Civil
Aviation Secretary and the Director General of Civil Aviation.
Till then, the first Drone Policy (Drone Policy 1.0 or Civil Aviation Requirements dated
27th August, 2018) which came into effect on 1st December, 2018 stands.
The Drone Policy 1.0 lays down the requirements for operation of civil remotely piloted
aircraft system (RPAS (colloquially referred to as ‘drones’)).
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
SALIENT FEATURES OF DRAFT DRONE POLICY 2.0
1. The New Forms of Air Freight Permitted
Under Drone Policy 1.0, the potential to exploit drones for commercial purposes was
limited, like the Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) requirements. The draft Drone Policy 2.0
recommends expanding operations to beyond VLOS as well as beyond the current limit of
400 feet, thereby enabling sellers to deliver orders using drones including food delivery.
Under the current Drone Policy 1.0, RPA operations are restricted to within VLOS and to a
limit of 400 feet above ground level (AGL), and the delivery of food through drones is not
permitted.
The draft policy will exploit the commercial potential of drones especially with respect to
transport of temperature sensitive commodities like bodily organs, emergency/just-in-time
deliveries of life-saving drugs or safe blood for transfusions and collection of patient
specimens for delivery for time-sensitive testing in laboratories.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
SALIENT FEATURES OF DRAFT DRONE POLICY 2.0

2. Mandates Privacy by Design

The draft Drone Policy 2.0 mandates a ‘privacy by design’ standard. Drone Policy
1.0 does not stipulate privacy standards to be adhered to by RPA operators though
they are under an obligation to not compromise the privacy of any “entity”.
3. Permits Autonomous Operations
The draft Drone Policy 2.0 proposes to allow autonomous aircraft i.e. the use of
algorithms for piloting of drones subject to privacy, security and safety
requirements. The Drone Policy 1.0 deals only with RPAs i.e. unmanned aircraft
piloted from a remote pilot station. Autonomous aircraft and RPA are distinct
categories of unmanned aircraft system (UAS).
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
SALIENT FEATURES OF DRAFT DRONE POLICY 2.0

4. Proposes development of Infrastructure {Drone corridors, Droneports

and UAS Traffic Management (UTM)}
The draft Drone Policy 2.0 conceives of drone corridors (segregated
airspace demarcated by appropriate authorities) to keep commercial UAS
operations out of non-segregated airspace in which manned aircraft
operate.
It is also proposed that UTM should be established which would be
responsible for managing UAS induced traffic especially in drone corridors.
Further, there should be designated areas known as ‘droneports’ to
facilitate the landing and take-off of drones.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
SALIENT FEATURES OF DRAFT DRONE POLICY 2.0

5. Proposes Maximum Life cycle for Drones to Ensure Airworthiness

The draft Drone Policy 2.0 proposes prescribing a maximum life cycle for each
drone type and operators must apply for re-certification at the end of a drone’s life
cycle.
This is over and above the requirements of equipment and maintenance under
Drone Policy 1.0.
6. Recommends Establishing a Drone Directorate
The draft Drone Policy 2.0 recommends establishing a Drone Directorate within the
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) as the needs of the nascent drone
industry may differ from those of the mature civil aviation industry.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
SALIENT FEATURES OF DRAFT DRONE POLICY 2.0

7. Recognises DigitalSky Service Providers (DSPs)

The draft policy introduces new players in the DigitalSky ecosystem called
DSPs, which would be public or private agencies registered in India, to
provide enabling services to the UAS operators, DigitalSky Platform, relevant
law enforcement authorities and/or any other stakeholder. One of the roles
envisaged for DSPs is providing UTM services.
8. Permits 100% FDI
The draft policy proposes 100% FDI under automatic route in UAS and RPAS-
based commercial civil aviation services. Under Drone Policy 1.0, there is no
mention of FDI.
THE STATE OF DRONE MARKET IN INDIA (EXPRESS COMPUTER, DEC Kaur
Dr. Parveen 24, Nagpal
2019)

Initially perceived as a toy, drones are now being utilized to their full potential
across a broad spectrum in India.
Since its entrance into commercial utilization, they have helped humans simplify
complex tasks and work in extreme conditions without having to bear severe costs.
The business sectors in India, though skeptical in the beginning, have embraced
drones to increase work efficiency and reduce operational cost.
According to a report by FICCI and EY, the Indian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
market is expected to touch $885.7 million by 2021, with the global UAV market
size approaching $21.47 billion.
Furthermore, a report by PWC India further states that the drone space is
expected to grow at a CAGR of 18% during 2017-23.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
KEY INDUSTRIES IMPACTING GROWTH OF DRONES IN INDIA
1. Drones in Infrastructure and Engineering – Help in topographic surveys and the
measurement of reserves and storage volumes. Drones are also used by
construction companies to monitor ongoing projects and are also helping
governments to create smart cities. They help in evaluating the conditions of current
infrastructure such as bridges, solar farms, etc. Drones are also valuable in
engineering companies to inspect structures such as dams, to detect foundation
cracks and areas affected by natural disasters. Most importantly, it helps engineers
and constructors to mitigate the risks associated with manual laborer.
2. Drones in Security and Surveillance - With the advancement in camera
resolution and artificial intelligence, drones are being widely used by government
and security companies in surveillance of desired targets through features like
multiple GPS for real-time video transmission.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
KEY INDUSTRIES IMPACTING GROWTH OF DRONES IN INDIA
3. Drones in Environmental Studies and Monitoring - UAVs are helping environmentalists
to study wildlife, monitor flora and fauna, and to capture the impact of environmental
factors on the forest life. As the drones can be equipped with scientific scanning
equipment, conservationists and researchers are replacing lower-resolution satellite
imagery, slower terrestrial surveying equipment, and expensive manned aircraft services.
4. Drones in Entertainment - Used by film directors to get aerial footage for a particular
scene, for which they had to use helicopters in the past, thereby contributing to lower
costs.
Drones are also used to capture tourism videos of places. Aerial photography has also
become popular where photos are captured from high altitudes.
The Indian government, during the edition of Asia’s premier air show, Aero India-2019
held a ‘Drone Olympic’ to let drone pilots show their potential of flying these devices.
 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS REGARDING DRONES Dr.
INParveen
INDIA Kaur Nagpal

A specialized force constituted “for the purpose of specialist response to a

threatening disaster situation or disaster” has been using UAS for locating victims of
natural disasters
Indian Railways is using UAS for inspection and 3D mapping to bring to life its vision
of a dedicated freight corridor with a network of 3,360 km. The entire corridor will
be mapped using UAS technology.
In November 2019, Coal India used drones to check illegal mining and pilferage, a
system which it had already tested in a pilot project.
An autonomous agency of the Government of India, responsible for management
of a network of National Highways has employed the use of drones for 3D digital
mapping for Detailed Project Report (DPR) for road widening of the Raebareli –
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
FUTURE OF DRONES IN INDIA
The Drone Policy 2.0 seeks to provide a way for foreign players to invest in India, which will allow
the development of India’s UAV sector. Investments by the Indian government and citizens,
combined with future foreign direct investment, can become the reason for the further
evolution of the drone sector in India.
Drone-related careers can open up for pilots, UAV operators, engineers, and data processing and
analysis experts. Potential positions can range from full-time to contract-based work, and
internships across many industries
Technological improvements have made drones a marvel of engineering capable of performing
tasks that are impossible for humans to perform.
India is among top countries across the globe in terms of drones imports, India accounts for over
20% of the global drones imports.
Some of the major players operating in India Commercial Drone market are Edall System, idea
Forge, Skylark Drones, Johnnette Technologies, Aarav Unmanned Systems (AUS), Terra Drone etc.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
FUTURE OF DRONES IN INDIA

Given the economic opportunities and the scope presented by drones in India,
it is not surprising that the UAV sector is the fastest-growing commercial sector
in India.
Growing utilization of drones for monitoring and surveillance amidst COVID-19
is anticipated to drive the commercial drones market through 2025.
However huge investment is required for innovations and research regarding
the safe use of UAVs in India.
It is through scientific research that drones can be technologically advanced to
use artificial intelligence, machine learning etc., so as to become a one-stop
solution to provide automated, secure and economical solutions for leveraging
technology, across public and private sectors.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
CASE 1 - 'NO DRONES WITHIN 3 KM': SECTION 144 IMPOSED AROUND AMBALA
AIRBASE AHEAD OF RAFALE JETS ARRIVAL (Times Now Digital JUL 28, 2020 | 18:16 IST)

Chandigarh: Security has been tightened around the Ambala Air Force Station,
Haryana a day ahead of the much-anticipated arrival of the first batch of five Rafale
jets. The fighter aircraft, which flew from France on Monday, is expected to arrive
in India by tomorrow.
Ambala district administration today imposed Section 144 around the airbase with
immediate effect and banned any kind of photography there in view of tomorrow's
arrival of Rafale fighter jets.
"In view of Rafale's landing tomorrow, the administration is on a high alert. Section
144 has been imposed in four villages closer to Ambala airbase. Gathering of
people on roofs and photography during landing has been strictly prohibited," said
Munish Sehgal, DSP Traffic, Ambala.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
CASE 1 - 'NO DRONES WITHIN 3 KM': SECTION 144 IMPOSED AROUND AMBALA
AIRBASE AHEAD OF RAFALE JETS ARRIVAL (Times Now Digital JUL 28, 2020 | 18:16 IST)

Apart from prohibiting the gathering of more than four people, the district
administration also announced that any drone activity within 3-km of the Ambala
Air Force Station will be strictly prohibited until further orders.
If any drone is caught flying in the 'no-drone zone' area as suggested by the
administration, strict action will be taken against the violators.
"The Ambala Cantt area is a 'no-drone area' as it is a sensitive zone. Also, no
photography allowed in the area. If anyone violates these orders, action will be
taken against them," said Ram Kumar, DSP Ambala Cantt.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
CASE 1
Been there, drone that: Pizza air-delivery in Mumbai
(TNN | Updated: May 22, 2014, 05:56 IST)
MUMBAI: Would you like your pizza home-delivered by an unmanned drone? That may not be
impossible in future, for a little-known pizza chain in Mumbai last week succeeded in making a
test-delivery less than 3km away from its outlet in Lower Parel by using a remote-controlled,
GPS-enabled drone.
The ‘customer’ was actually a friend of the chain’s CEO, so it was technically not a sale, as
commercial deliveries by drones are not allowed in India. Yet, in a way, it was a first for a product
delivery Amazon has only planned. On May 11, the drone took off from the Lower Parel outlet
and, flying at a speed of 30km an hour, manoeuvred its way atop the city’s mill district to reach
its destination, a high-rise in Worli, in nearly 10 minutes. The drone dropped the 13-inch plain
margherita pizza, weighing half a kilo, on the 21st floor rooftop.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
CASE 1

Flying over the traditional lunch delivery system—the army of dabbawalas

who shuttle lunchboxes to offices all over the city—the pizza-drone, which
was launched from Francesco’s Pizzeria, made sense in a city known for its
history of atypical and innovative delivery solutions. Under current
regulations, the use of drones for commercial purposes is still illegal in India.
Francesco’s Pizzeria sidestepped the law by delivering the pie to the owner’s
‘friend’—not a ‘customer’—and thus technically did not engage in a
commercial transaction.
Perhaps inspired by the delivery of the margarita pizza, e-retail behemoth
Amazon plans to use Mumbai and Bangalore as the trial launch pad for their
PrimeAir delivery system.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
CASE 2 - GOVERNMENT OF TELANGANA RELEASES AN EXPRESSION OF
INTEREST FOR “MEDICINE FROM THE SKY PROJECT.” (MARCH 21, 2020)
Government of Telangana, World Economic Forum and HealthNet Global have signed
a collaboration agreement for “Medicine from the Sky.”
A feasibility study is being conducted to look at how delivery drones can be used to
improve medical supply chains, followed by a pilot implementation in Telangana.
The project includes a comprehensive study of drone-based deliveries for blood,
vaccines, medical samples and long tail medicine.
The objective of this expression of interest is to assess the capability of Drones service
provider in providing safe, accurate and reliable pickup and delivery of Health care
items (medicines, vaccines, units of blood, diagnostic specimens and other lifesaving
equipment) from distribution centre to specific location and back, by using Drones.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
For the first time, the Uttarakhand forest department used a drone to redirect
an elephant herd back into the forests after it had raided a sugarcane field in
Terai area of Udham Singh Nagar on Friday, a top official said.
Parag Madhukar Dhakate, coordinator of the drone force and chief conservator
of forests (CCF) western circle, Kumaon, said for the drone was used to redirect
the elephant herd that had ventured into agricultural fields in Shantipuri village
of Udham Singh Nagar district, about 250 km northeast of Dehradun.
“When elephants raid sugarcane fields, it becomes difficult to track them as
sugarcane is as high as the height of elephants. Also, the leaves of sugarcane are
razor-sharp and forest staffers suffer cuts when they chase elephants. So we
used a drone to track the movement of the elephant herd on Friday to reroute
them towards the forest area”, he said.
 CASE 3 - IN A FIRST, UTTARAKHAND USES DRONE TODr.REDIRECT
Parveen Kaur Nagpal

ELEPHANTS BACK INTO FOREST (OCTOBER 4, 2019)

The department has procured eight high-tech drones recently with a flying range of 7 to 20 km to
be used for man-wildlife conflict mitigation, keeping tabs on encroachments in forests, poaching
activities, movement of animals, counting of certain species, illegal mining, illicit felling of trees,
monitoring of water holes and aerial patrolling in protected areas like Corbett and Rajaji National
Park where the same becomes challenging during the monsoon period.
Uttarakhand is the first state in the country to have a have dedicated drone force – a fleet of 10
for surveillance and monitoring its wildlife, especially in the context of various threats to wildlife
and the environment.
“Once the drone is airborne, they get a live feed and geo-location of the elephants. This helps us
in finding the exact location, numbers and movement of the elephants which helps them in
mapping and planning how and from which direction the ground staff, should coordinate to
reroute the elephants towards the forest area,” Dhakate said
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
CASE 4
Amid COVID-19 lockdown, South Eastern Railway deploys drones to guard its assets
(Indian Express, 10th July 2020 09:13 PM)
RANCHI: In a first, Railway Protection Force (RPF) of South Eastern Railway (SER), in the
wake of COVID-19 pandemic has deployed drones to safe-guard the railway assets over
Kharagpur, Adra, Chakradharpur and Ranchi divisions falling under it in the states of West
Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.
The initiative, according to an official release from South Eastern Railway, was taken as it
had become a challenging task for them to keep all around surveillance round the clock
on the fixed and moving railway assets.
"Since physical surveillance is somehow difficult, SER's RPF have been deploying drones
to keep an eye on huge railway assets. The drones are being used to keep a close eye
round the clock in the entire network of SER," stated the release issued by SER.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
CASE 4

It said that these drones are being used mainly at yard-signaling,

infrastructures, wagon stocks, good sheds and station relay rooms. The
official release further added that drones have been deployed to optimize
security personnel’s effectiveness and proactivity.
With the help of drones, images of railway areas are being captured to give
the clear view of the area within a radius of 2 kilometers from suitable
heights. In addition to that, sniffer dogs have also been deployed to detect
explosives, theft, criminal activities and security of railway assets during
lockdowns.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
CASE 5

Drones - Playing Critical Role in Enforcing Lockdown as India Fights Covid-19

(News18, APRIL 15, 2020, 2:57 PM IST)
With India under lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus, drones are
proving to be a crucial tool in the functioning of law enforcement authorities and
other government agencies which are deploying these Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
for carrying out surveillance, sanitisation and to reach out to people, minimising
the risk of infection for their personnel. While Gujarat Police is using 200 drones
across the state to monitor people's movements, Delhi Police has deployed them
to ensure people follow social distancing in Asia's largest fruit and vegetable
wholesale market Azadpur Mandi. Municipal authorities in Madurai are utilising
them to disinfect areas near the coronavirus wing of a city hospital.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
CASE 6
Aerial surveillance on Pune-Mumbai highway: Activists slam drones, say limited utility
may hamper road safety, escalate costs
(Express News Service, August 31, 2016)
It may have come from a genuine intention, but the state government’s decision to try out
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), colloquially referred to as drones, to patrol the Mumbai-
Pune Expressway is likely to prove ineffective as these gadgets have limited utility so far as
road surveillance is concerned, road safety activists and experts feel.
Critics stress on the ‘futility of the exercise’ citing limitations of drone patrolling, specifically
referring to low battery life, high number of drones that would be required to cover the
94.5-km long E-way and their inability to capture legible pictures of the license plates of the
vehicles. They also cite high human intervention that the technology needs which
necessitates almost three times the staff required to run a closed circuit surveillance system.
 Dr. Parveen Kaur Nagpal
REFERENCES
https://uavcoach.com/drone-laws-in-india/
https://dgca.gov.in/
Manual of DGCA RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) Guidance
Manual
http://dronefederation.in/category/case-studies/