Drones are an emerging industry and the country needs a procurement framework to ensure quality output
A procurement framework for usage of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones is in the works as the Indian government is increasing focus on drone start-ups. A commercial purpose of drone usages is the focus of the framework.
To enable public sector enterprises to decide whether they want to buy drones as equipment or use them as a service is the purpose of the framework.
There could be impact on overall output including data collection without clarity on procurement. The government is in discussion with relevant stakeholders for the framework.
Several ministries such as road, transport and highways, railways, agriculture and panchayati raj, and NITI Aayog have held discussions with the Drones Federation of India to decide quality parameters for large scale drone use.
“Drones are an emerging industry and the country needs a procurement framework to ensure quality output.”
According to Smit Shah, president, Drones Federation of India, “There is a need to strike a balance between capability, cost and competitiveness for using drones on a large scale. A clear guiding principle on this will ensure that the technology provides the desired results without compromising the quality of output.”
This move comes at a time when the government is aiming to make the country the “drone hub of the world” by 2030. At the beginning of 2022, the government notified the drone certification scheme in order to spur the drone manufacturing industry in the country and make certification simpler, faster and transparent.
The government is also grabbing attention of the investors as it is increasing its focus on the sector. For example, drone manufacturing startup ideaForge raised $20 Mn in a Series B funding round led by private equity firm Florintree in April, while another start-up Garuda Aerospace also secured an undisclosed amount in a Pre-Series A funding round led by Ocgrow Ventures in May.
Do Follow: CIO News LinkedIn Account | CIO News Facebook | CIO News Youtube | CIO News Twitter
About us:
CIO News, a proprietary of Mercadeo, produces award-winning content and resources for IT leaders across any industry through print articles and recorded video interviews on topics in the technology sector such as Digital Transformation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Cloud, Robotics, Cyber-security, Data, Analytics, SOC, SASE, among other technology topics
