Haryana is planning to come up with an institute to train drone pilots for capacity development, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said.
According to Khattar, the training institute will come up under the Drone Imaging and Information Service of Haryana Limited (DRIISHYA).
Last year, the Union government announced the new drone rules. It also mandated that after training from an authorised Directorate General of Civil Aviation-approved training institute in India, a drone pilot is required to register and get a ‘Pilot Identification number’ and Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit to officially fly drones.
A decision to set up the institute was taken during the second board of directors meeting of DRIISHYA chaired by Khattar on April 14.
The Haryana CM was informed by the officials about the need for creating a separate corporation to speed up the UAV-driven mode of governance in the state.
“This is a unique beginning in the state. With the help of drones, illegal encroachments can also be controlled along with detecting expansion of area. Earlier, manual surveys were conducted at regular intervals which were very time consuming, costly, and required more manpower,” said Khattar.
Directing the officers to ensure quick disposal of surveys and imaging work, Khattar said that besides the revenue department, the use of drones should also be ensured in other departments like urban local bodies, power, disaster management, mining, forest, traffic, town and country planning, and agriculture, among others.