COVID-19 Update | Dunzo to pilot drone delivery of medicines in India

Dunzo Digital | PC-Shutterstock

Google-backed delivery and e-commerce firm Dunzo Digital on June 1 announced that it would conduct experimental Below Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone delivery flights for the 'Medicine from the Sky Project'. The leading Med-Air consortium along with industry experts is aiming to help improve access to healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic in different districts in Telangana for medical supplies.

Launched by the Government of Telangana and the World Economic Forum, the 'Medicine from the Sky Project' aims to create a large-scale impact and help to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the state. With the drone delivery system, both the administration and Dunzo will focus on an end-to-end ecosystem for drone-based logistic transportation and utilise the existing logistics network of the state.

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"Telangana is one of the most proactive states looking to adopt emerging technologies, and the ‘Medicine from the Sky’ project using drones is in line with the same principles. This project is one of the first such programs in the country where multiple drones would fly BVLOS to establish their value proposition for the healthcare supply chain. The vision is to ensure healthcare equity for rural areas," Telangana's ITE&C Department Prinicipal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan said.

The Telangana government is exploring the scope of delivery of medical and healthcare provisions through drones across the state, said the release.

The State government has partnered with the World Economic Forum, Niti Aayog, and HealthNet Global for ‘Medicine from the Sky’ with the support of leaders in medicine, technology, and research. Apart from this, the initiative would ensure that the delivery of essentials like vaccines and medicines continues to be supported amidst infrastructural challenges and lockdowns.

"As our delivery partners continue to keep our cities safe on ground, we are working round the clock to meet the urgency of demand for essentials. Using technology we can now ensure that no matter where people live, life-saving essentials can and should reach them. We appreciate the Government of Telangana’s recognition of the role technology can play in today’s world to build safer cities. We believe our participation in the ‘Medicine from the Sky’ project will facilitate a more connected state and country, allowing people almost instantaneous access to vaccines and medicines from the most populous to most remote areas in India in the near future," Dunzo Digital founder and CEO Kabeer Biswas said.

Prior to this initiative, Dunzo in January 2021 has witnessed a growth of 350 percent in medicine orders. The firm facilitated the delivery of over 20,000 orders to hospitals between March to May 2021. The delivery of home-cooked meals, oximeters, and other medical aid has led to an exponential growth of 204 percent in Dunzo’s pick up and drop orders.