On Friday, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) signed an agreement with Asia Pacific Flight Training Academy Limited (APFTAL) and Marut Dronetech Private Limited, which has stated ambitions to employ drones in agriculture.
The three organizations will work together on research and development as well as training for unmanned aerial vehicles.
Training modules would be designed and developed by the APFTAL and Marut Dronetech. They would train the trainers in order to assist the institution in developing human resources capable of operating unmanned vehicles.
While APFTAL would handle the training, the university would supply the necessary physical facilities for training.
Drone use permission to PJTSAU
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have granted conditional exemption to Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) to use drones, in line with the Government of India's objectives to expand the scope of drone usage in the country. Drone usage exemptions have been given in PJTSAU research farms in Telangana for the evaluation and standardization of plant protection solutions, Agri Spraying, and building protocols for the diagnosis of key pests and diseases.
The conditional exemption is valid until the 16th of March 2022, or until the full functioning of the Digital Sky Platform (Phase-1), whichever comes first. This exemption will only be effective if all of the terms and conditions listed below are carefully followed. This exemption will be null and void if any of the conditions are not met.
Limitations and Conditions for drone usage:
- Operating limits must be followed as outlined in current government rules.
- Compliance with requirements imposed by various authorities, such as MOCA/DGCA/MOD/IAF/AAl/State/District/Civic Authorities, on permissions or exemptions. Before any operations, Third-Party Insurance must be in place.
- Adherence to SOP, however, they may vary if unavoidable circumstances emerge, which may be documented in writing.
- Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) and Marut Dronetech Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad, are responsible for the safe operation of the drone and any legal issues that may arise as a result of any harm to people or property.
- The DGCA and MOCA are not responsible for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential loss or damage to any person or property as a result of or in connection with this activity.
- This SOP is only applicable for Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) and will be used to evaluate and standardize plant protection solutions as well as establish protocols for diagnosing key pests and diseases with drones in PJTSAU research farms in Telangana.
- The aforementioned approval is conditional on the terms of existing Rules, Applicable Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), and other Circulars issued by the DGCA from time to time being followed. Furthermore, if any violations are discovered at any point during the duration of this approval, this approval may be changed, suspended, or revoked without notice.
