India keen to support drone startups for diverse applications: Hardeep Puri

Minister says tech being developed by country's startups will ensure drones perform mandated functions without any concerns on security

The government is keen to support drone startups as the technology can be used widely for delivering medicines, supplies during disaster management, and real-time monitoring of projects, said Minster of State for Commerce and Industry Hardeep Singh Puri.

India has about 130 startups in the domain of drones, and this is another area where the government is keen to support startups as drones are not only used for surveillance but also for delivering of supplies during disaster management, delivery of medicines, Puri said at the Startup India International Summit.

Drones are being used to monitor projects on a real time basis and provide precise real time information on a host of activities, he said.

“I’m confident that progress we are making in area of drones and applied technology is positioning India to be not only a regional but a global leader,” Puri said.

Both drones, and the technology that Indian startups are developing would ensure they perform mandated functions without any concerns on security, Puri said.

India is one of the few countries to have introduced drone regulations. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, in 2018, had issued Civil Aviation Requirements that only permit drone operations during daytime, and remotely piloted aircraft need to have a Unique Identification Number, and operators are mandated to get Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit.

Puri also said India is positioned as the third largest startup ecosystem with a strong competency of exhilarating to the top.

Speaking at the event, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade Secretary Guruprasad Mohapatra said growth of startups in the country is the government’s priority. India now has 41,000 startups DPIIT recognised startups across 590 districts from all states and union territories, Mohapatra said. About 55 per cent of these startups come from tier 1 cities while 45% come from tier 2 and tier 3 cities, he added.

India has about 30 unicorns--those with valuation above $1 billion--of which 9 have joined the club in 2020, Mohapatra said.

SUB-HEAD: India, BIMSTEC nations to see unprecedented growth in post-Covid world: Goyal

India along with BIMSTEC countries will experience unprecedented growth in the post-Covid world and “start a golden era of development,” Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said.

Addressing BIMSTEC nations at the Startup India International Summit, Goyal said startups from BIMSTEC countries should work together as partners and “help the take the world out of this dark period of pandemic into a glorious golden new era.”

Goyal said, several times, he has urged Indian capital and investors to support Indian startups particulary at an early stage, and now would invite investors to look at startups from BIMSTEC region.

“I would like to invite Indian capital to look at the BIMSTEC region, and work towards greater engagement both through investments, mentoring and support so that we can demonstrate to the world our joint commitment and effort to make startups the pillar on which future economic development will rest and prosper,” he said.