NEW DELHI: In order to foster the domestic drone manufacturing industry, the central government has banned the import of foreign-made drones.
Imports of foreign drones have been restricted with immediate effect, according to the Civil Aviation Ministry, as of Wednesday, February 9. The import embargo has taken effect as of this date, according to a notification from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
The notification stated, "The import policy of drones in CBU, CKD, or SKD form under 'HS Code 8806' is 'Prohibited,' with exceptions granted for R&D, defence, and security objectives."
The import of drone components, on the other hand, will be free. The PLI initiative for drone manufacturing and component manufacture was launched by the Centre last year.
Incentives of Rs 120 crore have been provided under the scheme over the next three years.In the next three years, it is likely to attract investments of Rs 5,000 crore into the sector.
In 2021, the Ministry announced liberalised drone laws, and in September of same year, the Ministry released the drone airspace map and PLI scheme. A drone certification programme and a single-window DigitalSky Platform have also been implemented.
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