The union government is significantly strengthening the drone industry by liberalising the Drone Rules in 2021 and announcing Drone Shakti in the Budget 2022. The government aims to facilitate and promote drones as a service through startups.

Drone makers and service providers have already been ramping up their product offerings and hiring to meet a spurt in demand that is envisioned to accelerate in line with the government's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, planned to further bring down drone prices. 

The Drone Shakti scheme and the INR 120 crore PLI scheme for drone and drone components will help increase domestic manufacturing and create employment. The fundamental aim of the industry is to generate a supplier ecosystem for the industry in India. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has proven to be a stimulus for India's large-scale adoption of drones by government agencies. The drone technology has been welcomed with liberalised standards, transcending the use of drones formerly limited to government agencies, alone. As the government is propelling and opening the drone industry in India, more companies and startups will gear up their investments in this sector. With India's focus on Aatamnirbhar Bharat, the launch of new drone corridors and incentivising local manufacturers, the drone industry will transform the scenario across different sectors in the country.