UP to set up drone manufacturing units

Lucknow, Dec 23 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government has drawn up a plan to set up drone manufacturing units in Uttar Pradesh.

Drones are now being used in various sectors such as agriculture, disaster management, health, maintenance of law and order, among others.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said, "Considering the importance of 'drones' in various fields including disaster relief, agriculture, maintenance of law and order, a concrete action plan should be prepared to establish a drone manufacturing unit in the state."

The chief minister has also asked the state to prepare its own manual. At present, there are no clear rules for flying drones in the state.

He said that the Union Civil Aviation Ministry has issued a policy in this regard. Accordingly, the state government should also prepare drone rules.

The manual should have clear provisions regarding the issuance of a drone airworthiness certificate, maintenance certificate, acceptance of existing drones, operator permits, student remote pilot license, remote pilot instructor authorisation, etc., to the drone users.

According to the government spokesman, the chief minister proposed the drone manufacturing unit, given the importance of unmanned aircraft in various fields such as disaster relief, agriculture, and law and order, the spokesperson said.

He has also mulled over starting certificate or diploma courses on drone technology in industrial training institutes, for which necessary help will be taken from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.

Instructing the officials, the chief minister further said that drones due to their accessibility, ease of use, can make a significant contribution to employment and economic development in remote and inaccessible areas. Also, there is also huge employment potential in the field of drone manufacturing. Many companies want to set up their units in Uttar Pradesh, he said.

The chief minister asked the officials to approach other investors too and suggested that the Defence Corridor can be a useful area for this industry.

He also directed to start diploma/certificate courses for training drone technology in ITIs and polytechnic institutes. "If necessary, the help of IIT Kanpur should be taken," he added.

Drones were used during the Covid pandemic, especially for surveillance and spraying of disinfectants.