As per the the CEO of a top Indian drone manufacturer, India's drone industry has made significant progress in the last decade, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. The company, IdeaForge, which is ranked fifth globally in the dual-use category of civil and defense, has showcased its products in the highly competitive US market. This move comes at a time when there is reluctance to purchase or acquire drones made in China.
Ankit Mehta, CEO of IdeaForge, stated in an interview with PTI Videos that the Indian drone industry has "leapfrogged in the last 10 years with an enabling environment from the Indian government." He also mentioned that the industry gained momentum after the COVID-19 pandemic, as per ET.
"I think before the pandemic, the rules and regulations around drones were fairly stringent, and they did not allow a lot of flexibility in terms of use and deployment," Mehta said.
"But since the pandemic, the floodgates, in a way, have opened the adoption of technology, which has become wholehearted. Now people want to deploy drones for as many use cases as possible," he said.
Drones had very restrictive regulations earlier, he said. "Now those regulations have become a little bit more relaxed in terms of allowing the use of drones under a regulated environment, which is conducive for operations."
"Therefore, we are seeing a lot of intent in terms of adopting technology, and we are seeing a lot of regulatory support for doing that," Mehta said.
