New Delhi: The city govt is framing a Delhi drone policy to promote investment and create jobs while deploying drones across key areas of governance, including urban planning, infrastructure monitoring and pollution control, apart from using them to help police with security measures.An apex committee comprising the IT secretary, home secretary and a special commissioner of Delhi Police has held a meeting where various aspects of the policy have been considered, including ways of making it competitive, a Delhi govt official said. The panel also discussed key takeaways from similar policies in several states and aligning Delhi’s framework with the Centre’s drone rules, 2021, to ensure regulatory consistency.A working committee will be set up to draw up finer details of the policy in engagement with govt departments and stakeholders. “Consultations with the stakeholders, including start-ups, academic institutes and industry representatives, are expected to begin next month before the policy is drafted,” the official said.Govt is studying drone policies of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Uttarakhand and Himachal, with an aim to adapt their best practices to suit Delhi’s needs. A group of officers recently visited Telangana for that purpose.“These states have adopted progressive frameworks offering capital subsidies for drone manufacturing units, production-linked incentives, R&D grants, reimbursement of certification costs and dedicated drone parks or testing corridors,” said another official. Their USP lies in creating an end-to-end ecosystem — from manufacturing and component supply chains to pilot training schools and assured govt demand for mapping, agriculture and infrastructure projects, the official said, adding that some of these states have integrated drones into broader start-up and skilling policies, ensuring industry support is backed by talent development and market access.“We are also exploring provisions to provide incentives for setting up research, testing and prototyping facilities. Plug-and-play incubation hubs could be encouraged to lower entry barriers for young entrepreneurs. This can help attract investment into drone analytics, mapping solutions and hardware manufacturing,” the official said. A key focus area of Delhi’s policy will be generating employment by creating opportunities across drone piloting, maintenance and repair, data analytics, GIS mapping and assembly-line manufacturing. As part of an academic partnership, IIT Delhi is likely to be engaged by govt for giving shape to the policy.The policy aims at promoting the use of drones across departments. “They can be used extensively in governance, for which the policy will set up enabling frameworks. They can be deployed to mitigate pollution through mist spraying in hotspot areas. More departments are expected to be roped in as discussions progress,” the official said.The policy will define areas prohibited for drone operations and mandate registration of drones flying in the city. A unique identification number mechanism may be introduced to maintain a comprehensive database.
