First drone school of Northeast launched by Assam government

Guwahati, Aug 16: The northeast has got its first remote pilot training school in Guwahati, as part of the central government's quest to make India a hub for drone technology, officials said. The Assam Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (AMTRON) has joined hands with EduRade, a start-up incubated at IIT-Guwahati, and IIM-Calcutta Innovation Park for the project.

The drone school was inaugurated by Assam's Information Technology Minister Keshab Mahanta on Tuesday. "Youths, after getting training from experts, can work anywhere in the country and in any sector," he said. The school will have trainers certified by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for conducting the pilot licence training program, according to news agency PTI.

The facility has been set up at Tech City here, with its flying ground at the Assam Forest School in Jalukbari. AMTRON has acquired two micro categories (not over 2 kg) and two small categories (2-25 kg) of indigenous drones for the training purpose, the officials said. The first DGCA-approved drone training school in India was inaugurated in Haryana last year.