Our weekly news wrap-up on the emerging drone ecosystem in India will give you an insight into the training, skill development, capacity building, technology and industry updates. Apart from keeping you updated, the news snippets from the drone ecosystem could help you generate leads and opportunities to develop your business in the sector.
Here we go with the top headlines of the week from the drone ecosystem in India
Updates from the drone ecosystem in India
Coromandel International invests in the drone start-up Dhaksha Unmanned Systems with the purpose of utilizing agricultural technology to help farmers adopt precision agriculture and boost their productivity.
DroneAcharya Aerial Innovations’ initial public offering (IPO) was subscribed 262 times on its closing day.
Under the guidelines of the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization being implemented by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the provisions have been made to promote the use of drone technology in agriculture.
In an effort to teach 1 lakh drone pilots, Garuda Aerospace has announced the launch of India’s first virtual e-learning platform for drone training and skill development.
Enord, a drone technology firm, and IIIT-Delhi have inked an MOU to conduct joint research in the area of drone navigation.
The “Medicine in the Sky” project drone service has been successfully launched by Apollo Hospital’s HealthNet Global at Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh.
Anchal panchayt was the starting point for the Department of Agriculture’s project to use drones to spray micronutrients to boost farming.
The first agri-drone technology in Tripura was launched by Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Pranajit Singha Roy at Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in the Khowai district.
The news snippets are curated and adapted from various sources with the sole objective of keeping our readers updated about the evolving drone industry in India.
If any source has objections or other concerns, please write to us at contact@dronefluence.com, giving valid reasons, and we will remove the link to your content.
The drone industry in India is growing exponentially each day. Drones are finding their application in various industry sectors like logistics, defence, mining, healthcare, agriculture, and infrastructure among others. The Government of India has also liberalised rules and regulations for the drone sector, with an aim to make India a global drone hub by 2030 and to generate job opportunities for the youth. This also gave a push to several drone training institutions to provide drone pilot training to candidates across different age groups and educational backgrounds.
It has also opened up several opportunities for women in the drone sector, who are passionately exploring new career paths. We interacted with one such woman who with a keen interest in drones and the usage of drone technology in the agriculture sector became one of the first women drone pilots from Telangana.
Ms. Archana Reddy Pendyala
Meet Ms. Archana Reddy Pendyala from Hyderabad, who is an engineer, mother, entrepreneur and a first-generation drone pilot. She has been recently trained and certified by Telangana State Aviation Academy (TSAA) as a drone pilot. She talks to us about how her interest in drones started, her experience with drone pilot training at TSAA, the positive impact of using drones in agriculture, etc. Read on to know more.
Q: Please tell us briefly about yourself and how you got interested in drones and drone pilot training.
A: I am an Engineer by profession and I have done my post-graduation in M.Tech in Computer Networks and Information Securities. I currently run an Electric Vehicle company, where we manufacture 2-wheeler and 3-wheeler electric vehicles. My inspiration to become a drone pilot came from my grandfather, who is a farmer. I have seen him spend several hours spraying the fertilizer on the entire farm. With an interest and curiosity to know how to reduce the burden on him, I have researched on the internet and watched several videos about it. That is when I came across the use of drones in agriculture. I was fascinated by the various applications of drones in agriculture. I wanted to learn more about it, become a drone pilot and make use of drones in agriculture.
While I was exploring drone pilot training, I came across Telangana State Aviation Academy (TSAA) and joined its training program. Since I have an experience and understanding of electric vehicles, how the motor works, and some of the technicalities behind it, it was easier for me to pick up certain things in drone pilot training.
Q: What are your future plans? Are you going to take up drone pilot as a full-time career?
A: I would like to build drones for the agriculture sector. Every sector needs different kinds of drones specific to that industry. Now that I learned how to fly a drone, what are the different parts of it, and what are some of the things we can modify to suit the needs of the agriculture sector, I would like to build drones specific to this sector.
I already bought spare parts and built a drone by myself. I would like to try it out myself on our farmlands and build it further on a few other specifications.
Q: Are you also trained in building drones at TSAA?
A: We are not specifically trained in building drones at the academy, but we are made well aware of all the parts, how to fix them, and how to make small repairs by ourselves, among others. But because I have experience working on Electric Vehicles, their parts, how the motor works, and its mechanism, it was easier for me to improve further on that knowledge and build a drone from the scratch.
Q: Do you think people from any educational background can take up drone training?
A: In order to enrol oneself in drone pilot training, it is mandatory to be 18 years old and hold a 10th-class pass certificate. Having a technical background could be an added advantage but it is not necessary. I would say, the only prerequisite is to have a keen interest in drones.
Q: How was your training experience at TSAA?
A: It was an enriching experience. The total duration of the training was of 5 days – 3 days of class work or theoretical and 2 days of fieldwork of practical classes. During our training, we learnt about the rules and regulations to fly drones, the safe zones for flying, optimal height, designated areas, what is the maximum weight a drone can carry, among others. It was a very detailed training program. Even though the training is for 5 days, the trainers and staff of the academy are always available for any queries we have. They are approachable and can be reached anytime in case of any doubt or query.
Q: Is the drone sector opening up new career opportunities for women? What do you have to say?
A: It definitely is. But it will take a few more years to see more women take this up as a career. It is still new and is currently male-dominated. However, there are going to be several new opportunities in drones for women in various industry sectors like agriculture, photography, healthcare, etc.
Q: Where do you think drones will play the most critical role in the coming years?
A: The future of drones is very promising in the agriculture sector. Water usage, the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and labour shortage in agriculture are all going to be positively impacted by drones. With the use of drones in agriculture, we are able to spray fertilizer on one acre of land in 10 minutes, which is game-changing. After the agriculture sector, I think drones are going to play a critical role in the healthcare sector.
Our weekly news wrap-up on the emerging drone ecosystem in India will give you an insight into the training, skill development, capacity building, technology and industry updates. Apart from keeping you updated, the news snippets from the drone ecosystem could help you generate leads and opportunities to develop your business in the sector.
Here we go with the top headlines of the week from the drone ecosystem in India
Updates from the drone ecosystem in India
TechEagle, a drone delivery startup, unveiled the Drone Delivery Hub and Network in collaboration with MHSSP and the Government of Meghalaya.
Coromandel International Ltd, an Agri solutions company, has invested $200 million in Dhaksha Unmanned Systems Pvt Ltd, a differentiated drone start-up.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur flagged off Garuda Aerospace’s Drone Yatra and launched India’s first e-learning platform for Drone Skill and Learning.
Redcliffe Labs and Skye Air Mobility launched long-term drone pilot flights from Uttarkashi’s remote hills to Dehradun’s Sahastradhara.
Anadrone Systems has revealed plans to establish a state-of-the-art research research and development centre for advanced drones in the state.
Youth in the Nabarangpur district, Odisha built a drone for agricultural use at a minimum expense of Rs 4 lakh, which is cheaper than other drones on the market.
The news snippets are curated and adapted from various sources with the sole objective of keeping our readers updated about the evolving drone industry in India.
If any source has objections or other concerns, please write to us at contact@dronefluence.com, giving valid reasons, and we will remove the link to your content.
