Devendra Fadnavis asks officials to make Maharashtra drone policy, ecosystem

Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday directed officials to draft the state's drone policy and ecosystem, which could be the first in the country.

Fadnavis gave the directive after attending a Maharashtra Drone Mission meeting here in Mumbai, where Indian Institute of Technology Bombay made a presentation in the presence of senior officials and subject experts.

"The state should draft the country's first drone policy and ecosystem as the equipment market is expected to grow to USD 40 billion by 2030. Drones would be used in agriculture, marketing, disaster management, construction monitoring, planning, survey and mapping as well as defence, among others," Fadnavis said.

Efforts must be taken to make Maharashtra a drone hub, which would generate employment for 75,000 persons, he said.

"It is also proposed to have a drone centre one at state level, six at divisional and 12 at district level," the deputy CM said.