In a bid to meet the rising demand for skilled drone pilots in view of the Government of India’s higher focus on promoting the application of drones in agricultural practices, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has authorised 63 Remote Pilot Training Organizations (RPTO) in the country as on July 25, 2023.
The Government of India has notified the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for drones and drone components with an objective to incentivise the manufacturing of drones and drone components in India so as to make them self-sustaining and globally competitive. Drone import policy has been notified on February 9, 2022, banning the import of foreign drones and freeing up the import of drone components. Drone Rules have been liberalised to facilitate wider application of drones, Minister of State for Civil Aviation General VK Singh (Retd) said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
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Given the combined benefits of the liberalised Drone Rules, 2021, the PLI scheme, the prohibition of drone imports and growing utilisation, the Indian drone industry is likely to grow along with an increase in employment, the minister further said.
Since the notification of Drone Rules, 2021, 63 RPTO have been approved by DGCA for providing drone training and skilling across the country. To date, these RPTO schools have certified more than 5500 Remote Pilot Certificates (RPCs). As of date, a total of 10,010 drones are registered with a Unique Identification Number (UIN). DGCA has issued 25 type certificates to date for drone manufacturing in India, Singh informed the lower house of the Indian parliament.
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The Government of India, on 21st December 2021, released the standard operating procedures for the use of drones in agricultural practices such as pesticide spraying for crop protection and for spraying soil and crop nutrients. This step paved the way for the promotion of application of drones in agricultural practices.
State-wise RPTO list (As of 25th July, 2023)
| Sr. No. | Name of Approved RPTO | City | State |
| 1 | Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU), Andhra Pradesh | Guntur | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2 | Drogo Drones | Guntur | Andhra Pradesh |
| 3 | Raxa Security Services | Hindupur Taluk | Andhra Pradesh |
| 4 | Assam Electronics Development Corporation | Guwahati | Assam |
| 5 | Sanskardham Campus | Ahmedabad | Gujarat |
| 6 | Blue Ray Aviation | Mehsana | Gujarat |
| 7 | Kaushalya The Skill University | Gandhinagar | Gujarat |
| 8 | RRU – DroneAcharya (Rashtriya Raksha University) | Gandhinagar | Gujarat |
| 9 | Wow Go Green | Gandhinagar | Gujarat |
| 10 | Kite Aero | Vadodara | Gujarat |
| 11 | Drone Destination | Gurugram | Haryana |
| 12 | Ganpati Aviation Solutions | Bahadurgarh | Haryana |
| 13 | Global Avianautics (Government Aviation Training Institute ) | Gurugram | Haryana |
| 14 | Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi | Gurugram | Haryana |
| 15 | Fore Institute of Drone Technology And Research (FIDTR) | Gurugram | Haryana |
| 16 | Drone Imaging & Information Services of Haryana Limited | Karnal | Haryana |
| 17 | Flapone Aviation | Sonipat | Haryana |
| 18 | CSC Academy | Karnal | Haryana |
| 19 | Phoenix Drone Flying | Gurugram | Haryana |
| 20 | SPH Aviation | Gurugram | Haryana |
| 21 | IoTech World Avigation | Gurugram | Haryana |
| 22 | Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademy (IGRUA) | Shahpur | Himachal Pradesh |
| 23 | Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademy (IGRUA) | Bengaluru | Karnataka |
| 24 | Agni Aero Sports Adventure Academy | Mandya district | Karnataka |
| 25 | Multiplex Drones | Bangalore | Karnataka |
| 26 | Aerophile Academy | Bangalore | Karnataka |
| 27 | Neosky India | Kolar | Karnataka |
| 28 | Airbus Group India | Bangalore | Karnataka |
| 29 | Clearskies Learning & Research | Bangalore | Karnataka |
| 30 | Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Systems | Kasrgod | Kerala |
| 31 | Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi | Gwalior | Madhya Pradesh |
| 32 | Ultimate Energy Resource | Bhopal | Madhya Pradesh |
| 33 | Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi | Bhopal | Madhya Pradesh |
| 34 | Redbird Flight Training Academy | Dwarka | New Delhi |
| 35 | Drone Acharya Aerial Innovation | Pune | Maharashtra |
| 36 | PBC’s Aero Hub | Pune | Maharashtra |
| 37 | Academy of Carver Aviation | Pune | Maharashtra |
| 38 | The Bombay Flying Club | Dhule | Maharashtra |
| 39 | Aman Aviation and Aerospace Solution | Palghar | Maharashtra |
| 40 | Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth | Ahmednagar | Maharashtra |
| 41 | Terna Public Charitable Trust | Osmanabad | Maharashtra |
| 42 | AdiSA Drona | Sangli | Maharashtra |
| 43 | Kasegaon Education Society Rajarambapu Institute of Technology | Sangli | Maharashtra |
| 44 | Rao Industries | Pune | Maharashtra |
| 45 | Dronetech Solutions | Palghar | Maharashtra |
| 46 | JVE Konnect | Navi Mumbai | Maharashtra |
| 47 | Centurion University of Technology and Management | Paralakhemu | Odisha |
| 48 | Drone Destination | Mohali | Punjab |
| 49 | Wissmo Agventure | Jaipur | Rajasthan |
| 50 | Indira Gandhi Rashriya Uran Akademy (IGRUA) | Coimbatore | Tamil Nadu |
| 51 | Indira Gandhi Rashriya Uran Akademy (IGRUA) | Madurai | Tamil Nadu |
| 52 | Garuda Aerospace | Chennai | Tamil Nadu |
| 53 | CASR Anna University | Chennai | Tamil Nadu |
| 54 | Telangana State Aviation Academy | Hyderabad | Telangana |
| 55 | Marut Drone Tech | Hyderabad | Telangana |
| 56 | Flytech Aviation Academy | Hyderabad | Telangana |
| 57 | Drone Academy | Hyderabad | Telangana |
| 58 | Pavman Aviation | Telangana | Telangana |
| 59 | Woahage Aviation | Bhuvanagiri | Telangana |
| 60 | Dronachariya Drone Academy | Meerut | Uttar Pradesh |
| 61 | Pioneer Flying Academy | Aligarh | Uttar Pradesh |
| 62 | Drone Destination | Phulpur | Uttar Pradesh |
| 63 | Naini Aerospace | Prayagraj | Uttar Pradesh |
Source: Directorate General of Civil Aviation
