The government is exploring the potential of drones for Covid-19 vaccine delivery. Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have granted permission to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for conducting a feasibility study of Covid-19 vaccine delivery using drones in collaboration with IIT Kanpur.
The permission has been granted for a period of one year or until further orders, said the Ministry of Civil Aviation. With the medical emergency conditions prevailing all across the country, the ministry also accorded conditional permission for the use of drones to several other entities for various purposes for a period of one year or until further orders.
The entities that are given permission to use drones during the ongoing second wave of Covid-19 pandemic include Nagar Nigam of Dehradun, Haldwani, Haridwar, and Rudrapur for preparation of GIS-based property database and electronic tax register.
West Central Railway (WCR) Kota and Katni for train accident site and maintaining safety and security of the railway assets
Further, Vedanta (Cairn Oil & Gas) also received the conditional drone usage exemption for data acquisition for asset inspecting and mapping for a year.
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These exemptions will be valid only if all conditions and limitations as stated for the respective entities are strictly adhered to. In case of violation of any condition, the exemption will become null and void and action may be initiated by MoCA and DGCA, the MoCA said.
