Flying drones...

“We hope that these initiatives will enable us to create a vibrant new industry

The regulations state that no permissions will be needed for flying ‘nano’ drones, which weigh less than 250gm, within the visual range. But operators have been advised to inform the local police beforehand and to not breach the privacy of any individual.

According to the ministry, the Digital Sky Platform will be the first-of-its-kind national unmanned traffic management (UTM) portal to implement a ‘no permission, no take-off’ (NPNT) policy. “Users will be required to do a one-time registration of drones, pilots and owners. For every flight (except nano drones), users will be required to ask for permission to fly through a mobile app, and an automated process will permit or deny the request instantly. The UTM operates as a traffic regulator in the drone airspace and coordinates closely with the defence and civilian air traffic controllers (ATCS) to ensure that drones remain on the approved flight paths,” a ministry official said.

All RPAS, except nano drones and those owned by government intelligence agencies, will have to be registered and issued with a Unique Identification Number (UIN). If such a registration is not done, it will be a violation of law that will attract penal action.

As per the regulations, there are five categories of drones by weight — nano, micro, small, medium and large. The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) has identified 23 sites across the country where experiments related to drones will be conducted. “It is not that we will never allow the use of drones for services. Whenever someone approaches us with a new idea — be it using it for deliveries or agricultural purposes — we will test it at the identified sites and allow the usage in case to case basis,” said a DGCA official who asked not to be named.

For flying in controlled airspace, the filing of flight plan and obtaining Air Defence Clearance (ADC) /Flight Information Centre (FIC) number will be necessary. The regulation defines “no-drone zones” as areas around airports, near the international border, Vijay Chowk in New Delhi, state secretariat complexes in state capitals, and strategic locations and vital military installations. A case under the Indian Penal Code can be filed for flying a drone in a prohibited zone. “It is good to have a policy for something which is still evolving. But government really need to think of this is the priority for the ailing aviation sector,” said Mark Martin, founder and CEO of Martin Consulting, an aviation consultancy.

“Irrespective of the international exposure of our banks, the CRAR should be kept high as they face certain other risks. Also, our banks like SBI and Bank of Baroda has a lot of international exposure even if it forms a small part of their balance sheet.”

The report of the committee, to be submitted by the end of this month, is likely to suggest that the Reserve Bank ensure that there is no atmosphere of anxiety and uncertainty among the bankers and that the regulator itself avoid knee-jerk reactions. The lawmaker added that the committee believes that one such was the halting of letters of undertaking in the aftermath of the fraud perpetrated by jewellers Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi’s who misused this instrument (essentially a guarantee from the bank).

The rising NPAS of banks have escalated to a major political row between the ruling NDA and the opposition. While the NDA government blames the previous regime for giving loans out of extraneous considerations, the opposition has accused the NDA of financial mismanagement. NPAS in public sector banks increased by around ₹6.2 lakh crore between March 2015 and March 2018, leading to a substantial provisioning of ₹5.1 lakh crore. The committee also plans to ask the government to see if RBI needs more power as a regulator. According to the lawmaker, the committee also recognises the importance of bankruptcies being resolved before the National Company Law Tribunal and is worried that some of these are taking more than the 270-day timeline prescribed under the rules. This person added that the committee will recommend that the tribunal be strengthened so that it can meet its workload.

Diwanji welcomed the suggestion and said, “This is justified. We need stronger and decisive benches. Currently, there are just 13 or 15 NCLT benches and just one appellate tribunal,” he said.

The lawmaker said the committee has met various stakeholders while preparing its report and added that while it is aware of the situation in stateowned banks, it would not like the current crisis to lead to any opportunity to privatise some of these banks.