News Analysis India

Tag: Ministry of Civil Aviation

  • PLI scheme to support India’s 2030 dronehub mission launched

    Express News Service

    The Ministry of Civil Aviation has notified the operational guidelines for the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for drones and drone components in India yet another step in realizing India’s aim of becoming a prominent drone manufacturing hub by 2030.

    The government has approved the PLI scheme with an outlay of Rs 120 crore and the scheme which will be in force till March 31 2025, ministry sources said.

    The guidelines for the PLI scheme have been finalised after consultations with stakeholders, including industry representatives. The PLI will be extended only to companies engaged in the manufacturing of drones and drone components in India.

    The Indian government expects the annual turnover of the drone manufacturing sector to cross Rs 900 crore and the drone services sector to exceed R 30,000 crore in the next three years. The government also believes that the drone sector can generate more than five lakh jobs.

    With the recent notification of the guidelines, the government will invest Rs 120 crore in the PLI scheme for the drone manufacturing sector. With social welfare a priority, it is urging the industry to primarily focus on applications in the fields of agriculture and healthcare, besides military use. Spraying of nano urea, transportation of Covid-19 vaccines, weather forecasting, surveillance of sanctuaries and forest areas, border patrolling and rural surveying are some drone applications that the government has been focusing on.

    At the Bharat Drone Mahotsav, organized in May this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent out a strong message for ushering in transformational change by making India the hub of drone manufacturing by 2030. By flying a drone himself, the PM probably tried to convey the message that these systems will become essential for business and social welfare in the future and India intends to become a key player in the international market.

    Under the PLI scheme, the total incentive per manufacturer is capped at Rs 30 crore which is 25 % of the total financial outlay of Rs 120 crore. Indian MSMEs and startups manufacturing drones and having annual sales turnover of Rs 2 crore will be eligible for the scheme. In the case of drone component makers, the eligibility threshold will be Rs 0.5 crore.

    For Indian non-MSMEs that are into making drones, the annual sales turnover requirement will be Rs 4 crore for claiming the PLIs. The minimum level will be Rs 1 crore in the case of non-MSME drone component makers, as per the ministry.

    Developers of software for drones and drone components will also be eligible for PLI. The Project Management Agency (PMA) appointed by the ministry will evaluate the applications and a committee chaired by the civil aviation secretary will consider the applications as recommended by the PMA.

    Further, an Empowered Group of Secretaries, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, will monitor the scheme and take appropriate action to ensure that the expenditure is within the prescribed outlay as approved by the Union Cabinet. 

    “Excess incentive paid to any applicant (due to any reason like sales return in the subsequent year or some other reason) will be adjusted in the incentives payable in the next year(s),” the guidelines states.

    “If there are no incentives payable in the next year(s), the applicant has to return the incentive along with interest calculated at 3 years SBI MCLR prevailing on the date of disbursement, compounded annually, for the number of days of holding the excess incentive,” the ministry said.

    The Ministry of Civil Aviation has notified the operational guidelines for the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for drones and drone components in India yet another step in realizing India’s aim of becoming a prominent drone manufacturing hub by 2030.

    The government has approved the PLI scheme with an outlay of Rs 120 crore and the scheme which will be in force till March 31 2025, ministry sources said.

    The guidelines for the PLI scheme have been finalised after consultations with stakeholders, including industry representatives. The PLI will be extended only to companies engaged in the manufacturing of drones and drone components in India.

    The Indian government expects the annual turnover of the drone manufacturing sector to cross Rs 900 crore and the drone services sector to exceed R 30,000 crore in the next three years. The government also believes that the drone sector can generate more than five lakh jobs.

    With the recent notification of the guidelines, the government will invest Rs 120 crore in the PLI scheme for the drone manufacturing sector. With social welfare a priority, it is urging the industry to primarily focus on applications in the fields of agriculture and healthcare, besides military use. Spraying of nano urea, transportation of Covid-19 vaccines, weather forecasting, surveillance of sanctuaries and forest areas, border patrolling and rural surveying are some drone applications that the government has been focusing on.

    At the Bharat Drone Mahotsav, organized in May this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent out a strong message for ushering in transformational change by making India the hub of drone manufacturing by 2030. By flying a drone himself, the PM probably tried to convey the message that these systems will become essential for business and social welfare in the future and India intends to become a key player in the international market.

    Under the PLI scheme, the total incentive per manufacturer is capped at Rs 30 crore which is 25 % of the total financial outlay of Rs 120 crore. Indian MSMEs and startups manufacturing drones and having annual sales turnover of Rs 2 crore will be eligible for the scheme. In the case of drone component makers, the eligibility threshold will be Rs 0.5 crore.

    For Indian non-MSMEs that are into making drones, the annual sales turnover requirement will be Rs 4 crore for claiming the PLIs. The minimum level will be Rs 1 crore in the case of non-MSME drone component makers, as per the ministry.

    Developers of software for drones and drone components will also be eligible for PLI. The Project Management Agency (PMA) appointed by the ministry will evaluate the applications and a committee chaired by the civil aviation secretary will consider the applications as recommended by the PMA.

    Further, an Empowered Group of Secretaries, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, will monitor the scheme and take appropriate action to ensure that the expenditure is within the prescribed outlay as approved by the Union Cabinet. 

    “Excess incentive paid to any applicant (due to any reason like sales return in the subsequent year or some other reason) will be adjusted in the incentives payable in the next year(s),” the guidelines states.

    “If there are no incentives payable in the next year(s), the applicant has to return the incentive along with interest calculated at 3 years SBI MCLR prevailing on the date of disbursement, compounded annually, for the number of days of holding the excess incentive,” the ministry said.

  • After MEA advisory asking Indian citizens to leave Ukraine, Centre removes curbs on flights

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Civil Aviation has removed the curbs on the number of flights that can be operated between India and Ukraine under the bilateral air bubble arrangement to facilitate travel of Indians from the eastern European nation, according to a senior official.

    Amid the prevailing situation in Ukraine due to the rising tensions with Russia, India has advised its citizens to temporarily leave Ukraine.

    The ministry has removed the restrictions on the number of flights and seats between India and Ukraine under the air bubble arrangement.

    Any number of flights including chartered flights can be operated between the two countries, the official said on Thursday.

    The official said that Indian carriers have been asked to look at having flights to Ukraine due to the increase in demand, adding that the ministry is coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) regarding the flight services.

    On Wednesday, Indian embassy in Kyiv said more flights are being planned in the near future to meet the additional demand.

    “The embassy of India has been receiving several appeals about non-availability of flights from Ukraine to India. In this regard, students are advised not to resort to panic, but book the earliest available and convenient flights to travel to India,” it had said in a statement.

    It had also said the Ukrainian International Airlines, Air Arabia, Fly Dubai and Qatar Airways are operating flights at present from Ukraine.

    “To meet the additional demand, more flights are being planned in the near future, including from Ukrainian International Airlines, Air India, etc. Details on the same would be shared by embassy as and when confirmed,” it had said.

    On Tuesday, the embassy advised Indian citizens, especially the students, to temporarily leave that country in view of the uncertainties of the current situation.

    Under an air bubble arrangement between two countries, international passenger flights can be operated by their respective carriers into each other’s territories subject to certain conditions.

    Currently, India has air bubble arrangements with 35 countries.

    The scheduled international commercial passenger flights to and from India remain suspended since March 23, 2020.

  • Parliamentary panel members suggest resuming international flights

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Some members of a parliamentary panel on Friday expressed concern over the high cost of international air travel and suggested to the Civil Aviation Ministry to consider resuming scheduled international passenger flights as the entire world is opening up after the COVID-19-induced closure, sources said.

    The members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture also questioned top officials of the ministry over rising prices of international flights, the sources said.

    The pandemic-induced suspension of scheduled international passenger flights, which started on March 23, has been extended till November 30.

    However, special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May 2020 and under bilateral “air bubble” arrangements with around 28 countries since July 2020.

    Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal, the Director-General of Civil Aviation and the Chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) deposed before the parliamentary panel on Friday.

    Some panel members from different parties questioned them about high prices of international flights, and food and beverage not being served in domestic flights of a duration less than two hours, the sources said.

    Several MPs specifically suggested they resume international flights as the world is opening up after increasing vaccination against COVID-19.

    The officials responded that they will look into the matter, sources said.

    The MPs also asked them on what basis the number of international flights to be allowed to one specific country is decided as the demand for international travel is on the rise, they said.

  • . Aviation ministry increases cap on India-UK flights to 60 services per week

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has increased the cap on special flights that operate between India and the UK from 30 to 60 flights per week from August 16 onwards.

    The ministry’s decision has come five days after Sanjeev Gupta, Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat, Union home ministry, had complained on Twitter that an economy-class ticket on Delhi-London flights of British Airways, Air India and Vistara for August 26 was priced between Rs 1.2 lakh and Rs 3.95 lakh.

    After Gupta’s post, Vistara had said on Sunday that pricing is always a function of supply and demand.

    “There are only 15 flights a week allowed currently on India-UK route for Indian carriers and when there is relaxation and more capacity allowed, it will automatically bring down prices,” the carrier had said.

    Currently, the two groups of airlines — Indian carriers and British carriers — are each allowed to operate 15 flights per week on the India-UK route.

    This will be doubled from August 16 onwards.

    On Thursday, the MoCA said the increase in the cap “will be effective from August 16, 2021, and will remain valid till further orders or till the resumption of scheduled international commercial passenger services, whichever is earlier”.

    “Out of the 30 frequencies per week available to Indian carriers, 26 frequencies have been allotted to Air India and the remaining 4 frequencies have been allotted to Vistara Airlines,” it mentioned.

    Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23 last year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

    However, limited special international passenger flights have been operating since July 2020 under the air bubble arrangements formed with 28 countries, including the UK.

    While there have been lower and upper limits on all domestic airfares in India since May 25 last year, no such limits have been imposed on international airfares.

    After Gupta’s Twitter post on Saturday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) asked the airlines that operate India-UK flights currently to submit details about their fares.

  • First direct flight operations flagged off on Imphal – Shillong route under UDAN

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: The first direct flight operations between Imphal (Manipur) and Shillong (Meghalaya) was flagged off on Tuesday under the Regional Connectivity Scheme — Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN) of the Government of India.

    “The operationalization of this route fulfills the objectives of the Government of India to establish strong aerial connectivity in priority areas of NorthEast India,” said a press release by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

    From now onwards, people can easily fly between the two cities by opting for a flight of just 60 mins from Imphal to Shillong and 75 mins from Shillong to Imphal. Earlier, the completion of the entire journey took more than a day to reach Shillong from Imphal or vice-versa, the press release further said.

    To date, 361 routes and 59 airports (including 5 heliports and 2 water aerodromes) have been operationalized under the UDAN scheme, added the press release.

    The aerial connectivity between the capital cities of Manipur and Meghalaya has been a long-awaited demand of the people of the region, it further said.

    Shillong is the second city to be connected with Imphal under the UDAN scheme. The airline M/s Indigo was awarded the Imphal-Shillong route during the UDAN 4 bidding process.

    The airlines are being provided Viability Gap Funding (VGF) under the UDAN scheme to keep the fares affordable & accessible for the common people, The airline will be operating four flights in a week and will deploy its 78-seater ATR 72 aircraft. Currently, 66 UDAN routes are operational by M/S Indigo airlines.

    The scheme is envisaged to establish strong aerial connectivity in all States and UT of the country which hitherto was not connected, laying the foundation of a new regional segment in India’s aviation market. (ANI)