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‘Belittled whole industry’: Drone body slams Rahul Gandhi for using ‘Chinese device’ to criticise India's policy
Drone Federation chief Smit Shah criticised Rahul Gandhi for saying that ‘no one understands the drone technology in India.’
Drone Federation of India (DFI) chief Smit Shah has called out Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of India's drone policy and for using what appeared to be a China-made drone to criticise the government.
Smit Shah slammed Rahul Gandhi for ‘belittling’ the drone industry by saying that ‘no one understands the drone technology in India.’
“When someone with significant responsibility (Gandhi) takes up a Chinese drone and belittles the entire industry, then young people like me have to speak up. There are over 400 companies in our country and about 40 to 50 drone component companies that are working very hard to deal with all these challenges,” Shah told news agency ANI.
Smit Shah stated that it is ‘quite discouraging’ when someone like the Congress MP, whose ‘personality is followed by at least some section of society,’ takes up a Chinese drone and says that 'we don't understand anything in India and none of these parts are made in India.'
Further, the DFI boss said there are many Indian companies which make drones with 60-70% indigenous component.
Praising the government, Shah added, “In 2021, the government, with the support of the industry and academia, actively took a stance that we no longer believe that we are confused or we are looking at drones through the prism of confusion. We very clearly understand that drones are an opportunity.”
He also claimed that India is the only country where about 3 lakh villages have been mapped through drones for the land record digitisation, and about 3 lakh villages have been mapped through drones for the land record digitisation.
What Rahul Gandhi said about drones
On Saturday, Rahul Gandhi shared a video on X, and spoke of the importance of a robust industrial system and ‘clear vision’ to propel the country forward. He also raised questions over the government's understanding of modern technological advancements, particularly in the field of drones and artificial intelligence.
In the video, he highlighted how drones have ‘revolutionised’ warfare by integrating batteries, motors, and optics, enabling unprecedented manoeuvrability and communication on the battlefield.
Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ‘failed to grasp’ that drones are drones are more than just a ‘bottom-up innovations produced by a strong industrial system.’
