Drones: India's new rules
THE USE OF DRONES The Government on Thursday officially announced the National Drone Policy. The Drone Rules 2021 make it significantly easier for people and companies to now own & operate drones. However, the restrictions on operations beyond visual line-of-sight, in which there is commercial interest, have not been lifted. What are the new rules? Coverage of drones increased from 300kg to 500kg, including heavy cargo drones and drone taxis. No security clearance required before registration or licence issuance for drones, and has lesser fees. Several approvals have abolished, number of forms reduced from 25 to 5 types of fees reduced to 4. Drone corridors to be developed for cargo deliveries. Maximum penalty for violations reduced to 1 lakh. No remote pilot license required for micro drones (for non-commercial use) and nano drones. Digital Sky Platform Digitalsky is a government initiative, which is designed to enable flights permission digitally and manage Unmanned A...