India's New Drone Policy| Who can fly the drone? | Where can the drone fly?
The Central Government notified the Drone Certification Scheme on Wednesday(27 Jan 2022). This notification has been issued by the Ministry of Civil Activation.
It states that the government is working towards making India a world-leading drone system. Through this millions of drones will be able to use Indian airspace safely. Also, the certification of drones will be easy and transparent.
Digital Sky
The government has prepared a Digital Sky platform for the registration and operation of drones. Every Drone user will have to register once. Along with the drone, its owner and pilot will also be registered.
This platform will act as a unified platform for the drone users of the activation regulator DGCA. A mandatory registration number and remote pilot license will be issued from here. Transfer and de-registration of drones have become easy under the new policy.
Arrangement for drones in the new policy:
- In the new policy, the drone is also like any vehicle. A Digital Sky platform is being built, which will work for registration of drones, issuance of Unique Identification Number(UIN) and route determination. This system is exactly like RTO.
- The Digital Sky platform itself will provide the drone technology framework, such as NPNT (No Permission, No Take-off), digital flight permissions and effectively manage the operation and traffic of the drone.
- Penalty up to Rs 1 Lakh has been imposed for violation of basis rules. No security clearance will be required before registration or issuance license.
Flying areas or Route for The Drones
- Interactive airspace maps with Green, Yellow and Red zones will be created on the Digital Sky platform. That is the sky of India will be divided into three zones. The green zone will be 400 feet above the ground, the yellow zone will be 200 feet above and along with it, there will be a red zone.
- Pilots may need permission from the Air Traffic Control Authority and other organizations to fly drones in the Yellow and Red zones. The radius of the Yellow Zone was kept 45 km away from the airport, which has been reduced to 12 km.
What permission will be required according to the Drone's Size?
Nano Drones ( Flying height 15 meters, Weight up to 250 grams)
- No approval required
- Ready to fly
- Permission is needed from local police
Micro Drones ( Flying height 60 meters, Weight up to 2 Kg)
- Required UIN number
- Permission needed from the Digital Sky Platform
- Permission is needed from local police
Mini Drones ( Flying height above 60 meters, Weight up to 25 Kg)
- Required UIN number
- Permission needed from the Digital Sky Platform
- Permission is needed from local police
- Permission required for Flight Plan
Small Drones ( Flying height above 60 meters, Weight up to 150 Kg)
- Required UIN number
- Permission needed from the Digital Sky Platform
- Permission is needed from local police
- Permission required for Flight Plan
