Panel to finalise regulations for drones, says govt

The civil aviation ministry has set up a committee, which includes officers from security agencies, to finalise the regulations for use of drones, Union Minister Jayant Sinha said today.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, he also said that no firm timelines have been fixed for regulations on the use of Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS).
"Pursuant to the discussions held in the Ministry of Home Affairs, a committee has been formed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on May 11, 2017, comprising officers from regulators and security agencies to finalise the regulations on UAS," said the minister of state for civil aviation.

As on date, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has not issued standards and recommended practices for certification and operation of civil UAS, he said.
"The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has prepared an air transport circular regarding 'Guidelines for obtaining Unique Identification Number (UIN) and operation of Civil Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)' in consultation with various stakeholders," he said.
In a separate reply, the minister said a project named 'Biometric Access Control System at Airports', costing Rs 33.23 crore, has been approved for implementation at 72 airports by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
"The objective of the project is to replace the existing system of paper-based Airport Entry Permits and enable biometric-enabled smart card-based access control system for staff and personnel (excluding passengers) requiring entry to the airports," he noted.