India permits drones to cover cricket

The Samikhsya Bureau

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have granted conditional exemption to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the deployment of drones for live aerial cinematography of the India Cricket Season in 2021.

MoCA had received requests from BCCI and other agencies for permission to use Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for live aerial filming.

“The drone ecosystem is evolving rapidly in our country. Its utilization is expanding from agriculture, mining, healthcare and disaster management to sports and entertainment. The granting of this permission is in line with the objectives of the Government of India to promote the commercial use of drones in the country,” the Ministry officials maintained

The Drone Rules 2021 are in the final stages of discussion with the law ministry. We are hoping to receive the approvals by March 2021, they added.

The conditional exemption is valid till 31st December 2021 from the date of issue of the letter or until the full operationalization of Digital Sky Platform, whichever is earlier.

The BCCI shall obtain necessary clearances from local Administration, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, Air Defence Clearance from Indian Air Force and Airport Authority of India, as applicable, prior to operation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), the Ministry clarified.