India Can Fly High If Drones Fly Low

Last week, Mumbai police registered cases against five individuals for allegedly flying drones without permission during the Mahaganapati Aagman procession in Mumbai’s Lalbaug.

The youths were evidently trying to capture aerial visuals of the procession welcoming idols of Lord Ganesh to various pandals in dense central Mumbai for the annual Ganpati festival, at the end of the month.

“The five accused claimed they were recording the event, but drone activity was strictly prohibited. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway,” a Mumbai Police official told the Free Press Journal.

In May, two young men were picked up in north and south Mumbai for flying drones, for what clearly appears to be recreational purposes, but on the effective ground of committing a crime.

The last week has seen much fulmination by leading economic and other lights about what India should do as a response to the economic embargo that the United States is set to impose on India, were it not to stop buying Russian oil by August 27.

That is when tariff rates of 50% would take effect, as opposed to the already debilitating 25% in force as of last week.

Several voices have highlighted once again the importance of the genuine ease of doing business for local businesses and helping firms become more competitive.

Others have pointed out how India should focus on attracting more foreign tourists, numbers of which are dismally low right now.

This would mean a different kind of job creation though it is not clear whether someone who was polishing diamonds in Surat or stitching apparel could be managing the front office of a hotel small or big. Or helping out in the kitchen. Possible, but not easy.

Last August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi showcased the NAMO Drone Didi scheme, where young women were trained to use drones for spraying fertilisers on their crops. “This would make them integral stakeholders of their local farming supply chains and rural prosperity,” Modi had said.

The scheme was kicked off around January last year and involved providing 15-day training to fly drones and get a drone pilot license. Some 15,000 drones were slated for distribution to women across India at the time.

At the recent India-Pakistan border conflict, drones played a key role in the cross-border warfare. Many of those drones were made by private companies in India who most probably had no clue that there was ever going to be a military application for their products.

Three months ago, I spoke to Ankit Mehta, CEO at Ideaforge Technology, a Mumbai headquartered drone maker. When they started their company almost 20 years ago, drones were thought to be used for mapping and photography.

And then the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai happened and drones began to be used for law enforcement. But, it was the Ukraine-Russia war which showcased the use of drones as an important tool and weapon in warfare.

But drones, as many know, have multiple uses. They could be used for aerial photography or, with considerable and sophisticated modification, for bombs and such payloads. That explains why India’s police forces are constantly cracking down on drone operators unless they have secured prior permission from them.

On the other hand, China is ambitiously promoting its low altitude economy, or airborne devices flying at less than 1,000 metres. The Economist quotes China’s civil aviation authority saying the country’s low altitude economy will be worth $208 billion by the end of this year.

Over 2.7 million packages and 200,000 meals were delivered by drones last year, double of 2023. Several flying cars, which also use batteries, are being developed.

And some 2.2 million civilian drones were operating around the country, a 455% jump in five years, says the Economist, adding drones are performing a variety of tasks from transporting blood to spraying fertilisers.

Some of this is happening in India too but the scale is nowhere close. More importantly, as the Economist points out, most of China’s airspace is reserved for military use or subject to strict security constraints.

That makes it all the more striking that China is promoting the use of low-altitude aircraft, and revising rules accordingly. Six cities, including Shenzhen and Hefei, are being given a degree of autonomy in opening airspace below 600 metres for commercial activity.

Which brings us back to our enthusiastic young drone cameramen trying to capture an aerial view of the famed Lalbagh Cha Raja as he makes his way past joyous crowds on Mumbai’s packed roads.

Much innovation has happened in India’s drone industry too. But not as much as China and it surely has been tougher.

Imagine a young engineer who builds a small drone to do something imaginative only to get caught and hauled off to a police station.

Just like the cameramen who wanted to get some cool aerial pictures but forgot to go through the bureaucratic maze of filling up forms and securing permissions.

India has many battles ahead, including on tariffs and geopolitics. None of our problems can be solved in days or even months, however much we may expend our energy on social media, desiring so.

Freeing up the use of drones would be one example and instance of how we can unclog the innovation pipelines, bottom up.