As per the aviation rules, using drones is prohibited for payload delivery. However, seeing the drastic surge of COVID-19 cases in India, The Civil Aviation Ministry and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has exempted this rule with conditions for one year. This exemption will allow the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in collaboration with IIT Kanpur to study the feasibility of using drones to deliver COVID-19 vaccines.
The government of India recently announced vaccination across the country for those above 18 years from May 1. As per the latest report, registration for these individuals will begin on Arogya Setu App and CoWIN platform from April 28.
On this ground, granting exemption to study the use of drones for delivering vaccines will further help the vaccination drive across the country.
