Drone import banned; defence, R&D exceptions

The government on Wednesday banned the import of drones other than for defence, security and research purposes. The aim is to promote ‘Made in India’ drones, according to a notification by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). The ban will not apply to the import of drone parts.

The government has taken a series of steps to boost domestic manufacturing of drones and drone components including announcing a Rs 120-crore Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and liberalising drone operation rules. “Import policy for drones in CBU (Completely Built Up) /CKD (Completely Knocked Down)/SKD (Semi Knocked Down ) form… is prohibited with exceptions provided for R&D, defence and security purposes,” the DGFT said. Even the import of drones for these purposes will require government clearances.

The new Drone Rules, 2021 reduced compliances and fees required to be paid to operate drones. The Civil Aviation Ministry also launched an airspace map of India, demarcating areas where drones can be used without permission and areas in which drones cannot be operated without obtaining prior permission from authorities.