The government's drone regulations take into effect from 1 December 2018. In a statement, the government said that the "DGCA has issued the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) for civil use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) commonly known as drones. The regulation was developed after extensive consultations among various stakeholders." These rules provide more legal certainty to people flying drones, while also adding a registration and licensing regime to the entire process. This includes approvals from (or requiring notice to) law enforcement agencies. The government said it will institute a "Digital Sky Platform", which will manage these permission systems. That platform will also come into existence with these rules, on December 1st. “These are a pretty comprehensive set of rules but they have missed out on the privacy issue. The European Union has laid great emphasis on privacy while the DGCA move shifts the onus on the drone flyer. It is a grey area,” drone law expert Owais Farooqui told The Hindu. The rules for anyone flying a drone: All drones except 'nano' sized ones and those owned by some government and intelligence agencies are to be registered and issued with a Unique Identification Number (UIN). Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit (UAOP) shall be required for drone operators except for nano drones operating below 50 ft., micro RPAS operating below 200 ft. Except for nano drones, all drones will need: (a) GPS capability in the drone, (b) Return-To-Home (RTH), (c) Anti-collision light, (d) An ID-Plate, (e) Flight controller with flight data logging capability,…
