The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has been granted permission to use drones up to 3,000 metres in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Manipur, and Nagaland for vaccine delivery
IIT Bombay has also been allowed drone use permission for research, development and testing of drones at its own premises
The exemption has been granted for one year, or until further orders; whichever is earlier as part of the liberalised Drone Rules, 2021
On August 25, 2021, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) had notified the liberalised Drone Rules, 2021 to allow wider use of drones while balancing safety and security considerations in drone operations. Now, the Ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have granted conditional exemption from the Drone Rules to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B).
The ICMR has been granted permission to use drones up to 3,000 metres [about 9,843 feet] in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Manipur and Nagaland for conducting experimental Beyond the Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) vaccine delivery. Meanwhile, IIT Bombay has received drone use permission for research, development and testing of drones at its own premises.