The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have granted exemption from Drone Rules to Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The exemption has been granted to IIT, Bombay for carrying out research, development and testing of drones in its own premises.

ICMR has been granted the exemption for using drones to conduct experimental Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) vaccine delivery in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Manipur, and Nagaland up to a height of 3000 meters.

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However, the exemptions will be subject to the terms and conditions of the said airspace clearance and shall be valid for a period of one year from the date of approval of the said airspace clearance or until further orders, whichever is earlier, the Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement.

Earlier, on 11th September 2021, Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia had launched first of its kind ‘Medicines from the Sky’ project at Vikarabad in Telangana under which drugs and vaccines will be delivered using drones.

On 25th August 2021, the Ministry of Civil Aviation notified the liberalised Drone Rules, 2021 to usher in an era of fast growth while balancing safety and security considerations in drone operations.