The Government of India on February 9 banned the import of drones with some exceptions in India. The import of drone components, however, has not been restricted by the government as it seeks to boost domestic manufacturing of drones.
Exemptions
- The import of any drones either in completely built up (CBU), completely knocked down(CKD) /semi knocked down (SKD) forms have been banned.
- Government entities, educational institutions and government recognised R&D entities will be allowed to import drones in CBU, SKD and CKD.
- Drone manufacturers seeking to import drones for R&D will also be able to import drones through this route.
- Importing drones for the purposes of defence, security and research and development have not been banned.
- But anyone looking to import drones under the exemptions will be required to obtain clearances.
- They need to acquire import authorisation from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade which would be provided after consultation with the relevant ministry.
- The ban does not apply to the import of drone components.
Objective behind import ban
- The import ban is aimed at giving a boost to domestic manufacturing of drones which is seen as a sector that is set to witness rapid growth this decade.
- According to BIS Research, India’s drone market is estimated to account for about 4.25% of the global drone market worth about $28.5 billion in FY22-23.
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