AMARAVATI, October 19 — The Andhra Pradesh State Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, has formally sanctioned the 'Andhra Pradesh Drone Policy 2024–2029', establishing an integrated policy roadmap to position Andhra Pradesh as India's premier commercial drone manufacturing and deployment hub.
Strategic highlights of the policy include: 1. Amaravati Drone City: Setting apart 300 acres in the capital region of Amaravati dedicated to drone design, component manufacturing, autonomous flight test ranges, and incubation laboratories. 2. Workforce Skill Mission: Free DGCA-certified Remote Pilot Training for over 35,000 rural and semi-urban youths over the next five years to meet surging demand in precision agriculture, land surveying, and infrastructure inspection. 3. Multi-Sectoral Adoption: Mandatory integration of drone technology across digital land cadastre (SVAMITVA scheme), river basin flood mapping, power grid line monitoring, and forest anti-poaching surveillance. 4. Fiscal Incentives: 20% capital investment subsidy for drone hardware manufacturers, zero electricity duty for 5 years, and reimbursement of patent filing expenses for local deep-tech startups.
Regulatory mechanics of the Drone Rules 2021 (Ministry of Civil Aviation), airspace categorization (Red, Yellow, and Green zones), and state technology incentives form high-yield study topics for APPSC Group-1 and Group-2 candidates.