The Ministry of Civil Aviation has published the draft Unmanned Aircraft System Rules, 2020, and the rules look set to allow beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations, and bring drone traders under its ambit. The draft rules also propose establishing dedicated drone ports and corridors in "permitted areas if warranted by the nature and requirements" of drone operations, although separate licenses will have to be obtained from the regulator for those, yet unspecified, permitted areas. A drone can capture images as long as it is not flying over non-permissible areas, and after "ensuring the privacy of an individual and his property", per the draft. MediaNama has seen a copy of the draft. The draft was notified on June 4, and comments can be submitted to the Civil Aviation Ministry till one month. The rules are an effort to form dedicated regulation around drone usage, as they are currently regulated as per provisions under the Aircraft Act. "It is a great step towards identifying the drone industry as an important part that will contribute to the Indian Economy. However, the regulators and the industry need to keep working hand-in-hand to operationalize these rules and regularise drone activity in India as soon as possible,” industry body Drone Federation of India said in a statement. What the draft drone rules say Licence for UTM service providers: The DGCA "may also establish an Unmanned Aircraft Traffic Management System in the Indian airspace", and provide UTM service providers a license for this, which is a key requirement for…
