We missed this earlier: The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has released a draft paper (pdf) with guidelines for obtaining a Unique Identification Number (UIN) and permission to fly a civil unmanned aircraft system (UAS). Hat tip: Amlan Mohanty Comments needed to have been sent by the 21st of May 2016 to Lalit Gupta, Joint Director General, Office of the Director General of Civil Aviation,at lalit.dgca@nic.in. Our apologies to our readers for missing this deadline. We'll update when a final policy is released, but here's what the draft policy has: The DGCA cites the increasing civil use of UAS for damage assessment of property and life in areas with natural calamities, for surveys, infrastructure monitoring, commercial photography, aerial mapping etc., as reasons for the requirement of guidelines. In April 2015, we’d reported that the DGCA was framing guidelines for the operation of UAVs or drones in the country, post which drones were expected to be legalized. “UA operations present problems to the regulator in terms of ensuring safety of other users of airspace and persons on the ground. However, in view of technological advancements in UAS over the years and their increased civil applications, it has become necessary to develop guidance material to regulate this activity.” A look at the guidelines: 1) Issuance of unique identification number (UIN): All unmanned aircraft to be operated in India will require an Unique Identification Number (UIN) issued from the DGCA. This will be granted only to citizens of India, or a company…
