Mission from promoting drone use in state

The government has prepared a five-year implementation plan based on a report by a team of experts from the Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Bombay

Mumbai: The state government has given its nod to set up the Maharashtra Drone Mission (MDM), aimed at using drone technology for varied purposes such as security surveillance, rescue and relief work during disasters, delivery of emergency medicines and vaccines to remote areas, and monitoring of infrastructure projects and traffic management.

Karad, India - February 05, 2022: Farmers use drone to spray pesticides on a sugarcane field at Narayanwadi Village in Karad. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Centre will promote ‘Kisan Drones‘ to help farmers assess crops, digitise land records as well as spray insecticides and nutrients, in India, on Saturday, February 05, 2022. (HT PHOTO) (Hindustan Times)

The government has prepared a five-year implementation plan based on a report by a team of experts from the Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Bombay. The implementation will be monitored by a committee headed by the state chief secretary, and the headquarters of the drone mission will be located in the IIT Bombay campus, said a notification issued by state’s higher and technical education department on Thursday.

The mission seeks to make Maharashtra a global drone hub, said the notification. Drone technology will be used to understand the effect of disasters and plan preventive steps. Drones are also proposed be used for security surveillance, traffic management and handling law and order situations, especially in major cities. In the agriculture sector, drones would be used for a range of purposes ranging from spraying pesticides to assessing crop yields to survey crop damage after unseasonal rains and hailstorms. The technology would also be used for monitoring and assessing infrastructure projects.

Nearly a dozen state government departments have already suggested various arenas for which drone technology could be used for planning and monitoring purposes. Use of drones would be guided by the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operations guidelines released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation – “based on the requirement, the state would engage nano, micro, small, medium and large drones,” the notification said.

The headquarters or nodal centre of the drone mission in the IIT Bombay campus will have a runway strip, indoor drone testing facility, prototype manufacturing facility, charging/fuelling station, hanger and a control tower. Six regional and 12 district level centres would also be set up across the state.

“We will soon hold our first meeting to decide on a timeline for implementation. We will set up a proper system across the states for usage of drone technology and appoint designated officers for the purpose. Besides, we will work out a system for permissions at local level, even though IIT-B has obtained permission for flying drones for research and other related activities from the aviation authorities,” said one of the members of the monitoring committee.