Bangalore,May 5 2021: Alternative Global India (AGI) is India’s largest drone consulting firm, which has helped many drone operators to obtain official permission for Covid-related vaccine delivery trials.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation recently gave “conditional exemption from Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021 to Govt of Telangana for conducting experimental delivery of vaccines using drones within Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) range."
( see our detailed story hereDrones being deployed to sanitize, carry Covid medicine in India (indiatechonline.com)
Of the trials due to be held in Telangana starting this week, AGI’s founder, Ankit Kumar says: “This is the first of its kind of trials being conducted. Even during this second wave of Covid, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Director General, Civil Aviation MoCA and DGCA officials approved the trials. The trials would ideally validate drone delivery mechanism for Covid vaccines. After the completion of the trial, this may be adopted by the states and the centre to deliver Covid vaccines to multiple regional corridors on priority.”
Explains Kumar: Trials will also assist in assessing conditions such as population, degree of isolation, geography etc to identify regions that specifically require drone deliveries.
The grant of these permissions is intended to achieve the dual objectives of faster vaccine delivery & improved healthcare access by limiting human exposure to COVID congested or COVID prone areas through aerial delivery; ensuring access to health care to the last mile, especially in remote areas; improving medical supply chain, especially with a third vaccine expected to be commissioned and millions of doses to be transported across India.
“The key elements that were hindrances in the sector in the past years are now in support of this development. The environment is optimistic, with the right set of people, favourable government regulations and aerial technological advancements, drone delivery will be a game changer very soon,” said Kumar.