DNA Special: How India is slowly turning into world’s drone hub

As the technological advancements increase in the country, it is expected that India will soon become the biggest drone hub in the next few years, and this drone movement is being led by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.

The country's largest drone festival started in Delhi today, in which Prime Minister Modi himself showed off the advancing drone technology. During the festival inauguration, he also said that India is ready to become the world's largest drone power.

While inaugurating the Bharat Drone Mohatsav 2022, PM Modi also shared an interesting anecdote, in which he said that drones can be helpful in increasing the speed of good governance and development in the country.

When the computer was introduced in India in 1980, it changed the entire country. Today, you will see that a computer is used for the functioning of every government and private office, and has become an integral part of the functioning system of the country. In a similar way, drone technology is expected to change everything for India.

The newly-developed drone technology is expected to significantly reduce human labour in the country, and a glimpse of this was soon in the drone festival, which started today.

In the Bharat Drone Mohastsav today, the prototype of India’s first drone taxi was presented, which will be able to fly with a weight of 200 kg at a time, with its battery running for a maximum of 200 km on a full charge. The company which presented the prototype estimated that the drone taxis can be fully functioning in India by 2030.

By the year 2030, the drone technology is expected to go even beyond taxis and can help greatly with agriculture, home delivery of goods, monitoring government work, and an ambulance drone technology is also in the works. This means that India can become the largest drone hub in the world by 2030.

To further India’s drone technology, the government of India is taking many steps. In February, new rules have been made regarding the import of drones, under which any company can now order only spare parts for drones from other countries. The drones, however, will be made in India.

This decision has been taken because till now, more emphasis was being laid on the import of drones in India. According to the data accumulated till 2014, Britain imported the largest number of drones across the country. Now, India alone accounts for 22 percent of the total drones imported all over the world.

An attempt is being made to change this picture by making more advancements in technology. At present, the drone industry in India is worth Rs 9,240 crore, which may be worth Rs 15,400 crore by 2026.

Many countries are also assembling an army of drones, introducing their technology to their military. China has even made its first drone battalion. Apart from this, countries like America and Russia are also working on assembling a Drone Army. Drones are also being used in the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. At present, more than 30 countries in the world have Armed Drones, which includes the name of Pakistan apart from India. This means that in the future, an army of drones will protect the borders of the country.

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