In light of the ongoing Operation Sindoor and the conflict with Pakistan, Amit Malviya, in-charge of ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) National Information & Technology Department, called drones "the future of warfare and business" and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his foresight to recognise the changing trends of modern warfare in 2021.
Crediting PM Modi for introducing transformative policy changes related to drones in 2021, Malviya stated that "restrictive" old rules pertaining to drone were done away with, green zones were increased, export regulations for drones were simplified, and multiple ministries and public sector units (PSUs) launched drone promotion programs like the Drone Didi scheme (a central government scheme that aims to empower women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) by equipping them with drone technology to provide agricultural services).
Malviya wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), "The restrictive old drone rules were abolished, green zones were expanded, a PLI scheme was launched, drone imports were banned, export regulations were simplified, and multiple ministries and PSUs launched drone promotion programs—such as the Drone Didi scheme."
He opined that these initiatives of the Modi government related to the usage and promotion of drones are showing results in 2025, and "India is on track to become a global drone hub by 2030." "Trust Prime Minister Modi. Always," he added.
His comments come in the backdrop of reports that the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like SkyStriker drones, which were added to Indian Army's arsenal post-Balakot strikes in 2019, were at the forefront of India's precision strikes on terror hubs in Pakistan and Pak-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) during Operation Sindoor.
At the Powering Bharat Summit 2025, Smit Shah, President of Drone Federation of India (DFI), had also credited PM Modi for being the primary force behind India's drone revolution. Speaking to Dr Nalin Mehta during a panel on “Defending Bharat,” the DFI president had stressed on the importance of intellectual property (IP) creation over mere manufacturing — calling it key to India's strength in modern warfare.
Speaking at the Powering Bharat Summit 2025, Shah said, "When the conflict (Operation Sindoor) was ongoing, we didn't really have to send planes to some other countries and get stuff from there. And that was because there is a well-established plan and a thought process. And I use the word thought process because in 2021, when there were global conflicts as well as lot of other events that were coming together, India, as a nation, very well understood the importance —both the strategic as well as the economic importance of this technology — and started laying out a red carpet for drone companies in India."
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