Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s mention of Drone Shakti, a mission similar to those aimed at conserving water and building infrastructure, is another step by the government to make India a drone hub by 2030. Experts said the initiative will help make India’s drone sector a $5 billion market.
A new integrated office is to be opened in the ministry of civil aviation to facilitate faster growth, coordination and approvals for drones, officials said, asking not to be identified.
“Startups will be promoted to facilitate ‘Drone Shakti’ through varied applications and for Drone-as-a-Service (DrAAS),” Sitharaman said in her speech. The courses required for drone skills will be started in select Industrial Training Institutes in various states, she said.
DrAAS is a concept comparable with Software as a Service (SaaS), drone operators said. DrAAS would eliminate the need for government departments to purchase drones. Instead, the departments can rent drones, allowing them to become asset light and take advantage of the best available capability and latest technology in the market.
As technology advances, government departments are becoming increasingly cluttered with old devices. DrAAS would be a win-win situation for both the government and drone startups, the operators said.
“Enabling DrAAS to facilitate Drone Shakti will open the doors for a Rs 30,000 crore drone service and enterprise market across various applications pan-India,” said Chirag Sharma, founder of Drone Destination, a manufacturer.