Relevance: GS-3: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.

Key phrases: Drone, UAV, Min. of Civil Aviation. Drone Rules 2021, combat application, and surveillance.

Why in News?

• In a nationwide programme to take the third eye to the sky, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has called for more effective utilisation of drone applications and urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance, situational analysis, crime control, VVIP security, disaster management, etc.

What is Drone or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle?

• An unmanned aerial vehicle, commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew or passengers on board.
• UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system, which include additionally a ground-based controller and a system of communications with the UAV.
• Drones have been divided into five categories based on their weight (existing rules)-Nano : Less than or equal to 250 grams, Micro : From 250 grams to 2kg, Small : From 2 kg to 25kg, Medium : From 25kg to 150kg, Large : Greater than 150kg.

Application Areas of Drones:

• Aerial Photography: Drones are now being used to capture footage that would otherwise require expensive helicopters and cranes. Furthermore, journalists are considering the use of drones for collecting footage and information in live broadcasts.
• Shipping And Delivery: Major companies like Amazon, UPS, and DHL are in favour of drone delivery. Drones could save a lot of manpower and shift unnecessary road traffic to the sky. Recently Vaccines were delivered through drones
• Geographic Mapping: Available to amateurs and professionals, drones can acquire very high-resolution data and download imagery in difficult to reach locations like coastlines, mountaintops, and islands.
• Disaster Management: Drones provide quick means, after a natural or man-made disaster, to gather information and navigate debris and rubble to look for injured victims. Its high definition cameras, sensors, radars and small size give rescue teams access to a higher field of view
• Precision Agriculture:.The infrared sensors in drones can be tuned to detect crop health, enabling farmers to react and improve crop conditions locally, with inputs of fertilizer or insecticides. It also improves management and leads to better yield of the crops.
• Search And Rescue: Presence of thermal sensors gives drones night vision and makes them a powerful tool for surveillance. Drones are able to discover the location of lost persons and unfortunate victims, especially in harsh conditions or challenging terrains.
• Weather Forecast: Drones are being developed to monitor dangerous and unpredictable weather. Since they are cheap and unmanned, drones can be sent into hurricanes and tornadoes, so that scientists and weather forecasters acquire new insights into their behavior and trajectory.
• Law Enforcement: Drones are also used for maintaining the law. They help with the surveillance of large crowds and ensure public safety. They assist in monitoring criminal and illegal activities. In fact, fire investigations, smugglers of migrants, and illegal transportation of drugs via coastlines, are monitored by the border patrol with the help of drones.

Risks associated with drone’s technology:

• The expected rise in the use of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for a host of different applications may leave operators exposed to a whole new set of risks, including third-party damage or injury and liability.
• One of the biggest risks, it said, was from radio frequency interference, resulting in loss of control, and, in the worst cases, fatalities.
• With the ability to collect massive amounts of unsolicited data, UAVs present an enormous threat to individual privacy and a significant challenge for insurance carriers,
• The issue is the application of these vehicles in urban areas where the risk of damage to properties and individuals is much greater than it would be in rural parts.
• Use of drones by terrorists causes a disproportionate psychological effect on people as well as on security personnel. Ex last year attack on India’s air force station in Jammu.

Way forward:

• We all know that if technology brings ease of life and security, then it also brings risks with it. So we have to use it in effective way. In this regard, the new Drone Rules usher in a landmark moment for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle sector in India. The rules are based on the premise of trust and self-certification. Approvals, compliance requirements and entry barriers have been significantly reduced.
• These Rules will tremendously help start-ups and our youth working in this sector. It will open up new possibilities for innovation & business. It will help leverage India’s strengths in innovation, technology & engineering to make India a drone hub.

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question:

Q. What do you understand by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle? Discuss how the Drone Draft Rules, 2021 will leverage India’s strengths in innovation, technology & engineering to make India a drone manufacturing hub?