Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa government has initiated the process to draft a drone policy which will be finalised by November this year, as it seeks to enable the use of drones and similar Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAVs) technology for different public services in the coastal State. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the policy would mandate drone manufacturers and users to register themselves and seek permission from the State Department of Civil Aviation to operate their UAVs after November.
Sawant on Thursday chaired a crucial meeting about the formulation of a drone policy through the department of Information and Technology (IT). During the meeting, which was also attended by IT Minister Rohan Khaunte along with officials of various departments, Kerala based M/s AutoMicroUAS Aerotech Pvt Ltd made a presentation, expressing interest to set up a drone park cum hub, with a manufacturing unit, R&D facility and placement cell in the Tuem electronics manufacturing cluster. Sawant said that the policy will allow different departments to use drones to fulfil various requirements. The government has listed the departments like forest, agriculture, mines, transport and disaster management among others, where drone technology would be used.
The government of India has undertaken a series of reform measures to make India a global drone hub by 2030.
“Drones are used across various sectors like mining, agriculture, transport, etc. Drone-based services in government sectors will lead to better efficiency and faster results,” said IT Minister Rohan Khaunte.
