“Discussions are on with relevant stakeholders and a procurement framework will be in place soon,” a senior official told ET on condition of anonymity.
The official said ministries, including road, transport and highways, railways, agriculture and panchayati raj, as well as Niti Aayog have held discussions with the Drones Federation of India on the quality parameters needed for using drones on a large scale.
“Drones are an emerging industry and the country needs a procurement framework to ensure quality output,” said the official.
The government estimates that the drones sector will achieve a turnover of ₹12,000-15,000 crore by 2026, up from about Rs 80 crore now, with a significant pickup in demand from sectors such as agriculture, delivery services, defence, law enforcement and surveillance.
“There is a need to strike a balance between capability, cost and competitiveness for using drones on a large scale. A clear guiding principle on this will ensure that the technology provides the desired results without compromising the quality of output,” said Smit Shah, president, Drones Federation of India.
Drones are being used in India for mapping, maintaining power transmission lines and crowd control as well as disaster relief such as floods.
