![Ministry of Civil Aviation announces ban on import of drones with certain exceptions Ministry of Civil Aviation announces ban on import of drones with certain exceptions](https://varindia.com/storage/news/uploads/2018/02/6204fce0ccc48.jpg)
With the aim to promote domestic manufacturing of drones in the country, the government on Wednesday has put a ban on import of foreign drones with certain exceptions. The civil aviation ministry said that in order to promote Made in India drones, import of foreign drones has been prohibited with effect from February 9, 2022.
Import of drones for R&D, defence and security purposes have been exempted from the ban but such imports will require due clearances.
"Import of drone components, however, shall not require any approvals," the civil aviation ministry said in a release on Wednesday.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the commerce and industry ministry has issued a notification banning the import of foreign drones.
"Import policy for drones in CBU (Completely Built Up)/CKD (Completely Knocked Down)/SKD (Semi Knocked Down ) form… is prohibited with exceptions provided for R and D, defence and security purposes," DGFT said.
Import of drones by government entities, educational institutions recognised by central or state government, government recognised R&D entities and drone manufacturers for R&D purpose will be allowed in CBU, SKD or CKD form.
This will however be subject to import authorisation issued by DGFT in consultation with concerned line ministries. Import of drones for defence and security purposes will be allowed in CBU, SKD or CKD form subject to import authorisation issued by DGFT in consultation with concerned line ministries.
Import of drones for defence and security purposes will be allowed in CBU, SKD or CKD form subject to import authorisation issued by DGFT in consultation with concerned line ministries.
Giving his reaction on the import ban of drones, Vipul Singh, Founder and CEO, Aarav Unmanned Systems (AUS) said, “Very encouraging news for the India drone ecosystem. With so many socially impactful use cases across the country, how long can we rely on borrowed technology and expertise? We see this import ban as a powerful step in making India self-reliant. And there is a huge potential for India to become a big exporter of drone technology in the near future. We are definitely on track to enable more technology creation in India and truly Make in India”.
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