Over 400 Firms in India are Making Drones: DFI Chief Dismisses Rahul Gandhi’s Claims

NEW DELHI:
Drone Federation India (DFI) President Smit Shah on Monday dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s claims that India lacks a strong production base for drones, saying over 400 companies in India are making different types of drones.

Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s argument, in an exclusive interview with IANS, Smit Shah said, “More than 400 companies in India are making different types of drones. These drones are being made for survey mapping, healthcare delivery, defence, surveillance and aerial target areas. At the same time, more than 50 companies are also making components to support these drone companies. Even though the focus on making components is quite new, many companies are doing very good work. Many companies have also exported important components.”

“It is not correct to say that there are 400 companies relating to drones and yet parts are being imported from China. A good effort is being made in the country in this field. Due to these efforts, drone components are being made; funds are being allocated for R&D. Attention is being paid to the fact that the components being made should have the necessary mechanism for cyber security,” he added.

Talking about the efforts of the central government, he further said, “In 2021, the central government, along with industry and academia, considered drones as an opportunity, keeping all the stakeholders together. Many types of policies have been brought to support this. The first policy was Drone Rules 2021, under which directions have been given about what the manufacturer, training school and pilot have to do, what is necessary for the registration of drones and the requirement of pilots.”

Speaking about other policies of the government, Smit Shah said, “The government has come up with the PLI scheme, under which the government gives incentives up to 20 per cent. The third policy of the government is important to boost drone manufacturing in the country. Under this, bringing fully built foreign drones to India is banned. All three policies are very important to promote the drone industry in India.”

He further stated, “The whole country is focusing on drones and AI. In the coming time, we will use drones with precision in important infrastructure projects in all cities. Drone technology is also very helpful in the agriculture and healthcare sectors. Indian startups are fully prepared to meet all the challenges and work is also going very well.”

Earlier in the day, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi criticised India’s drone industry and argued that India lacks a strong production base for drones.

In a post on X, Gandhi wrote, “India has immense talent and potential. We need a clear strategy to build strong industries, create jobs, and lead in the global market.”