The Ministry of Civil Aviation has granted conditional exemption from Drone Policy to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay on Monday.
ICMR has been allowed to use drones for conducting experimental Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) vaccine delivery in Manipur, Nagaland and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, up to a height of 3,000 meters, the ministry has said in an order.
In a separate order, the civil aviation ministry mentioned that IIT Bombay has been granted exemption from drone rules for research, development and testing of drones in its own premises.
Both institutes had sought permission from the government to use drones for these respective purposes on August 31.
Based on an undertaking provided by ICMR and IIT Bombay, approval of airspace use shall be obtained by them from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the ministry mentioned in its orders.
“This exemption shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the said airspace clearance and shall be valid for a period of one year from the date of approval of the said airspace clearance or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” it said in a statement on Monday.