AP aims to become India’s drone capital

Vijayawada: The stage is set to host the two-day ‘Amaravati Drone Summit’ here on Tuesday as the Andhra Pradesh government is contemplating formulating a Comprehensive Drone Policy, the first-of- its-kind for any State in India. The policy aims to encourage Andhra Pradesh to turn into a major investment hub for manufacturing and deployment of various types of drones.

AP is already credited with formation of a separate drone corporation. AP Drone Corporation Chairman and Managing Director K Dinesh Kumar said: “The summit is a prestigious event as they have set in motion efforts to make Amaravati the drone capital of India. Nearly 4,000 delegates including several experts, innovators, investors and researchers have registered to take part in the deliberations. A hackathon is being organised as part of the summit.”

The two-day event is being hosted by the AP Government with the support of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Drone Federation of India and several other organisations. One of the highlights of the event is to showcase about 5,500 drones of various categories from the decked up Punnami Ghat here on the banks of River Krishna.

In a post on micro-blogging site X, Minister for IT, Electronics, HRD and Real-Time Governance Nara Lokesh said: “When it comes to advancing drone tech, Andhra Pradesh is rising to the occasion, aiming for the skies. On October 22 and 23, one of India’s largest-ever drone summits and expos will be held in Amaravati. That’s not all-there will be a drone show featuring 5,500 drones too.”

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu and several other dignitaries will attend.

In a trend-setting move, AP has been using drones in agriculture, disaster management, mapping of land surveys and forest resources, logistics, healthcare and other applications. Due to risk associated with it, use of drones near defence installations and strategic locations like Visakhapatnam International Airport located at INS Dega air station of the Indian Navy is restricted.

The main objective of the summit is to explore collaboration and innovation within the fast-developing drone industry. The events at the summit include thought-provoking discussions, collaboration and networking opportunities and a dedicated drone exhibition.

“We are inviting all those interested to become part of our transformative journey where innovation meets collaboration. The hackathon is expected to attract innovators, technology enthusiasts and industry leaders to solve real-world problems using drone technology so as to ensure good governance and delivery mechanisms of citizen-centric services,” an official said.