Flying drones to be legal in India from December 1

New Delhi, Aug 27: Drones can be used for commercial purposes from December this year but within the line of sight of the person using it, the government announced.

"The reason behind the policy is to ensure that these flying objects do not become unidentified flying objects. We have started with this and will be working continuously to ensure that the policy stays ," said aviation minister Jayant Sinha.

The regulation released by the government said that all civilian drone operations will be restricted only during day time and flying will be restricted within visual line of sight which usually would be 450 metres.

Unveiling the regulations, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said, "Our progressive regulations will encourage a vast Made in India drone industry." He said the relief efforts in Kerala would have been much more effective had the regulation been in place by now. He said drone market is expected to touch USD 1 trillion in the coming years.

"We are likely to go from travelling in auto rickshaws to air rickshaws. There is a wide range of application of drones, from disaster relief, surveillance, security monitoring, precision agriculture, precision logistics," said Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha.

The government has identified 23 sites across the country where the drone technology will be put to extensive use to evaluate its further usage. A drone task force under his chairmanship will provide draft recommendations for drone Regulations 2.0.