PM Modi launches Drone Festival in Delhi today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick off India’s largest drone festival, Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022, today at 10 a.m. in Delhi’s Pragati Maidan. PM Modi will also meet with Kisan drone pilots, watch open-air drone demos, and talk to entrepreneurs at the drone exhibition centre.

Over 1,600 delegates, including government officials, foreign diplomats, military forces, central armed police forces, PSUs, private firms, and drone startups, will attend the two-day Bharat Drone Mahotsav. At the expo, more than 70 exhibitors will demonstrate various drone applications.

The festival will also feature virtual awards, product introductions, panel talks, flying demos, and the unveiling of a Made in India Drone Taxi prototype, among other things.

The federal government intends to increase domestic demand for drone services. Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Union Aviation Minister, recently stated that India will require roughly one lakh drone pilots in the future years.

Adani Group’s joint venture company with Israeli firm Elbit, IdeaForge Technology, and 12 other drone companies were selected as beneficiaries of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, which was launched this year to give a fresh push to manufacturing and services in the drone sector.

On May 5, the civil aviation ministry issued a second call for applications for the plan. The deadline for applicant submissions was May 20.

The government announced the PLI scheme for drones and drone components on September 16, 2021, with a budget of 120 crore split over three years.

The incentive for a drone and drone component producer under the PLI plan will be 20% of the “value addition” achieved by the company over the next three years.

The annual sales revenue from drones and drone components (net of GST) is subtracted from the acquisition cost of drones and drone components (net of GST).