Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India's biggest drone festival ‘Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022’ at New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan on Friday and launched 150 remote pilot certificates.

PM Modi said that his government has ensured that technology, earlier considered just for elites, is now available to the masses. Drones, the prime minister said, will enable technology-driven government and enhance the last-mile delivery of services to the common Indian.

PM Modi said, "In earlier times, technology and its inventions were considered for the elite class. Today we are making technology available to the masses first".

The enthusiasm being seen in India regarding drone technology is amazing, the PM said. It indicates the possibilities of this emerging as a sector of employment generation in India, he said.

“Technology has paved the way to ensure the last-mile delivery of government schemes.” The PM also interacted with Kisan Drone pilots and startups at the drone exhibition centre. He also witnessed open-air drone demonstrations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Drones can be used in identifying damaged crops and can help farmers by the smart spray of water and nutrients. It reduces the cost of expensive medicines for crops. With the advancement in drone technology, small-scale farmers will benefit. We are promoting a health and wellness centres network in every village in the nation. With the help of drones, medicines will be reaching every corner of the nation.”

"Till a few months back, there were a lot of restrictions on drones. We have removed most of the restrictions and are also moving towards creating a strong drone manufacturing ecosystem in India through schemes like PLI," PM Modi added.

Further, Union Civil Aviation minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia while speaking at the Bharat Drone Festival 2022 said, “While a drone can help security forces in maintaining security, it can also help farmers. We've brought new drone rules & released a drone space map.”

Bharat Drone Mahotsav is a two-day event and is being held on May 27-28 in the national capital Delhi. Over 1,600 delegates comprising government officials, foreign diplomats, armed forces, central armed police forces, PSUs, private companies and drone startups, etc participated in the Mahotsav.

The festival comes amid the central government's push for extensive use of drones in various fields, including agriculture. The civil aviation ministry passed the Drone Rules, 2021 last August to ensure ease of using drones.

Image source: Finax News