Chennai: India's Union Minister for Information and Broadcating, Anurag Thakur, said that the country will require at least 1 lakh drone pilots by 2024. He added that drone technology is essential for various fields including defense, agriculture, health(drone delivery of medicines), and entertainment. He was speaking after flagging off the 'Drone Yatra 2.0' in Chennai. The Minister was in the city for inaugurating the Drone Skilling and Training Virtual E-Learning Platform at the Chennai manufacturing facility, of Indian drone manufacturer Garuda Aerospace. He also flagged off 'Operation 777', which is meant to educate and demonstrate the efficacy of drones for different agricultural uses across 777 districts in India. According to the company, the nationwide Drone Yatra is their attempt to familiarize farmers with the usage and features of Garuda's Kisan Drones, which are meant to serve agricultural purposes.
It also aims to train youth in gaining experience as drone pilots. "With a dual objective of empowering farmers and creating employment for Indian youth, we are committed to manufacturing at least 1 lakh Kisan Drones in India, by 2024," said Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder & CEO, of Garuda Aerospace. The company says that their Kisan Drones are fitted with sensors, cameras, and sprayers, and help in increasing food crop productivity, reducing crop loss, reduce farmer exposure to harmful chemicals.
Minister Anurag Thakur estimated that India would require at least 1 lakh drone pilots in 2023 and that each pilot would earn at least Rs.50,000-80,000 a month. "If you take the conservative average of Rs.50,000 a month for 1 lakh youth, for an entire year, it would amount to Rs.6000cr worth employment in the drone sector". The Minister added that there are over 200 drone start-ups operating in the country and that the number is set to grow, thereby generating new job opportunities for youth.
