Drones are going to be as important as tractors

The life of common people has already changed in India with the advent of smartphones and internet connectivity. Now get ready for a ‘drone revolution’, which is set to have a huge impact on the lifestyle of urban and rural people and the economy of the country. The drone revolution has begun and toy helicopter-like drones (flying objects) are ready to be a part of everyday life. The government has simplified the policies for the manufacture and flying of drones, so that their commercial use can be made accessible. Drones were already being used for military operations and professional photography, now they are being applied in agricultural work as well. Drones will prove to be helpful for the farmers in the same way as the tractors changed the fate of agriculture. Since independence in India, if any area has been totally neglected, it is farming. Besides the use of tractors, threshers, tube wells and pumping sets, not much technology has been applied in agriculture so far. Except for large farms, agriculture has stayed away from modern machinery. In such a situation, the formal launch of 100 Kisan Drones, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, assumes significance. This is the beginning of the drone era in Indian agriculture.
 
At present, drones will be used to spray pesticides, chemical fertilizers, seeds, water etc. in the fields. Gradually, they will also be used in the work of survey of agricultural land, measurement, taking the produce like fruits and flowers to the market and sending essential medicines and vaccines to the villages. At present, more than 200 Indian startups are engaged in drone manufacturing, whose number will be in thousands in the coming years. The seeds of a new tech revolution have been sowed with Agri Drones and Kisan Drones, whose growth will be felt rapidly. According to the Drone Federation of India (DFI), the drone industry in India can grow ten times to Rs 50,000 crore in the next five years. The industry can employ 10,000 people in the next three years and double to this in the next five years. According to a July 2021 report by BIS Research, the global drone market, currently dominated by the US, China and Israel, is estimated to reach $ 28.47 billion in FY 2011-22, with India likely to hold 4.25 percent.
 
Apart from rare photography, drones can be used in many areas and tasks like spraying of pesticides on crops, delivery of medicines in remote areas, land survey, monitoring of wildlife, law and order and traffic management by police, photography of impossible places, wedding photography, filmmaking, disaster management, construction activities and journalism etc. Himachal Pradesh's first Drone School will open in Kangra, where youth willing to take up drones as a career will get training. New career options are emerging for the youth as a drone pilot or drone operator. Drones are also called Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). Now the rules and regulations related to drones have come into force in the country, which has made their manufacture and use accessible. Jobs are available in this field like software development, assembling, repair, drone pilot and drone operator.

(Author Narvijay Yadav is a senior journalist and columnist)