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Tough ‘drone’ laws have been relaxed with immediate effect from today, that is from 26 August 2021 onwards.

New relaxed drone rules says  –  no security clearance is required before any registration or issue of license to operate drones.

The fees to operate drones has also been cut to Rs 100.

Drone corridors will also be developed to facilitate cargo deliveries. The coverage of drones under the new rules has been increased from 300 kg to 500 kg to include heavy payload-carrying drones and drone taxis.

As per the new Drone Rules, several troublesome approvals have been abolished, such as : unique authorisation number, unique prototype identification number, certificate of conformance, certificate of maintenance, operator permit, authorisation of R&D organisation, student remote pilot licence, remote pilot instructor authorisation, drone port authorisation, and import permission for drone components.

Announcing the new drone policy, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted :

‘The new Drone Rules usher in a landmark moment for this sector in India. The rules are based on the premise of trust and self-certification. Approvals, compliance requirements and entry barriers have been significantly reduced. pib.gov.in/PressReleseDet

The PM also tweeted main points of the new drone policy stating that “the new Drone Rules will tremendously help start-ups and our youth working in this sector.

It will open up new possibilities for innovation & business. It will help leverage India’s strengths in innovation, technology & engineering to make India a drone hub”.

The new Drone Rules 2021, announced in July this year, will replace the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Rules 2021.

Around sometime in the afternoon, the new rules were also duly gazetted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The maximum penalty under the new Drone Rules, 2021, has been slashed to Rs 1 lakh.  This will not apply to any penalties with respect to violation of other laws, if there are any.