Introduction
Perhaps nothing exemplifies the delicate balances that are crucial for successful growth of any industrial sector than the Indian drone industry, today. Caught between the disruptions and innovations of the fourth industrial revolution, risk and possibilities of an emerging nation in an increasingly globalizing world, policy regulation and liberalization, and, economic growth and inclusion—the drone industry, both in India and globally, is a relatively nascent phenomenon, which most commentators believe gained prominence not before 2018, at least commercially (Edulakanti & Gonela, 2024, p. 20; Kapustina, Izakova, Makovkina, & Khmelkov, 2021). From being notified in the National Industrial Classification as late as 2022, to projections of having a turnover of USD 30 bn by 2030 – the drone industry in India is being leveraged as one of the many which will underwrite the story of her global ascendancy and a policy overview of it is timely (NASSCOM, 2022, p. 3; PMO, 2022; KNN, 2022).
Equal to its steep and impressive manufacturing record are the trends and projections of its service market which is made up of maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), drone platform services and training and education services, growing with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 44.4%, and reaching ~5 bn USD till 2030. Further, naturally, another reason why the industry is on the national ‘radar’ is due to its employment generation potential with over a lakh jobs across its manufacturing and service segments (PIB, 2022)
Endnotes
[1] Drone Rules are the overarching framework regulating the use and deployment of commercial and civilian purposes covering issues of type certification, registration and operations, airspace restrictions, R&D, training and licensing, offences and penalties, etc.
[2] Units that provide small and marginal farmers with access to farm machinery, implements and equipment on a pay-per-use or rental basis.
[3] Any other logistical support which may be required is also provided, such as financial assistance to purchase multi-utility vehicles for drone transportation, amongst others.
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