Drone Framework

Democratising the Sky

The Government of Telangana realises the potential of Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as drones, and is working towards democratising the sky and enabling new participants in aviation. Drones are evolving beyond their military origin, and they have moved to the consumer market. They are currently being used in commercial and civil government applications that span sectors and industries ranging from construction, agriculture, healthcare, police, insurance, to journalism and cinematography.

Further, with the Director General Of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issuing regulations, India has the opportunity to become a global leader in drones and Telangana, the youngest State in India, is looking at tapping this opportunity by bringing in a policy that enables the drone industry to grow and improve service delivery to the citizens, and demonstrating the use of technology for societal benefit.

The Vision

The Government of Telangana understands the potential of drone industry and realises that the government will have to catalyse the development of a drone ecosystem that will enable drone companies to flourish in the state.

A vibrant drone ecosystem accelerating economic growth in the State of Telangana.

The state envisions the creation of a drone ecosystem built on the strong foundations of an encouraging policy, robust infrastructure, research & development, and market access. This will enable and encourage the use of drones, which in turn will lead to the creation of employment opportunities and economic prosperity in the State of Telangana.

Key Pillars

The goal of this policy is to strike a balance between drone usage and regulations that ultimately result in increased economic activity due to usage of drones. While the policy strikes to achieve this goal by providing an environment that encourages and supports the usage of drones for greater public good, the drone related security, enforcement of laws and regulations prescribed by the MHA, DGCA and MoD will be carried out by the State police. The presence of a drone-friendly policy and a secure environment, supported by a pool of technical resources, will lead to the establishment of drone/anti-drone manufacturing companies. This policy is the first step towards that endeavour and is based around three key pillars:

Infrastructure

In order to transform from an emerging area into a mature industry, drone manufacturers and service providers require significant infrastructure support to develop and test their products/solutions. The Government will establish the Telangana Drone City (TDC) that would become India’s leading Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) test and business center.

TDC will foster a drone ecosystem and will enable sharing of resources, best practices and promote innovation. Infrastructure support plays a key role in the development of any industry. The development of TDC, including a testing facility, will lay down the foundation for a strong drone industry.

Talent Pool

The Government of Telangana understands that since the drone industry in India is ready to take off, there will be a huge talent demand. The talent pool needs to be developed through intensive training programs, developing educational curriculum and investing in research. To learn more about how the Government is planning to tackle this, download the Drone Framework PDF file.

Incentives

In order to promote the IT and Electronics sectors, the Government of Telangana has already come up with dedicated policies. To further boost the drone industry, the Government shall extend the fiscal incentives available under “Incentives for IT/ITeS Units” and “ESDM Policy” to drone and drone component manufacturers and service providers. For more details about specific fiscal incentives, download the Drone Framework PDF file.

Drone Initiatives

Medicine from the Sky (MFTS)

MFTS is Telangana’s flagship project for driving the adoption of drones in healthcare logistics and is being undertaken in partnership with the World Economic Forum and HealthNet Global (Apollo Hospitals). It was officially launched in September 2021 in the presence of the Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia and Minister for IT KT Rama Rao. Phase 1 of the project constituted Asia’s first and largest organised trials with more than 350 flights across 8 consortiums for drone-based medical deliveries.

Hara Bhara (Afforestation by Seed Bombing)

To support the Haritha Haram initiative of the Telangana Govt., Hara Bhara was launched as India’s first aerial seeding project in partnership with Hyderabad-based startup Marut Drones. About 12,000 hectares of forest area across 31 districts were successfully covered with 50 lakh seed balls during the monsoon of 2021.