Government invites applications from drone industry for production-linked incentive

The civil aviation ministry on March 11 has invited applications from the drone industry for the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme. The PLI scheme was notified on September, 30 2021.

The total incentive is Rs 120 crore spread over three financial years, which is nearly double the combined turnover of all domestic drone manufacturers in FY 2020-21, the ministry said.

Also Read: Explained | All you need to know about PLI scheme

The application form is of one page only, along with the certificate from the head of organisation and the statutory auditor. More than one company within a Group of Companies may file separate applications under this PLI scheme and the same shall be evaluated independently, the ministry said in a statement.

However, the total PLI payable to such applicants shall be capped at 25 percent of the total financial outlay under this PLI scheme.

The ministry further said that the deadline for submission of application form is 2,359 hours on March 31, 2022.

Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had on September 16 last year said that the Indian drone industry will have a total turnover of up to Rs 15,000 crore by 2026, after the boost to the sector with the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme.

Earlier on February 10, the government had banned the import of foreign drones with certain exceptions as part of efforts to promote domestic manufacturing of drones in the country. Import of drones for R&D, defence and security purposes have been exempted from the ban but such imports will require due clearances.