Mumbai: After leading drone manufacturers, the state’s top drone training organisations have also criticised Maharashtra’s new Unmanned Systems Policy, saying the sector is facing a severe crisis after being completely excluded from the policy. In a letter to IT minister Ashish Shelar, they warned that the omission could jeopardise an estimated Rs 1,000 crore in investments and 20,000 direct and indirect jobs over the next three to five years, while also adversely affecting women-led drone training enterprises in the state.The letter has been signed by representatives of five leading drone training organisations: PBC’s Aero Hub, J VE Konnect (Droneworld), TaraMitra Drone Academy, Dronetech Solutions and Prym Solutions Private Limited. All are headed by women CEOs or directors.“Maharashtra’s drone training sector is now in crisis mode, facing severe financial stress, and the industry is on the verge of shifting out of Maharashtra due to the complete neglect of the drone training sector in the recently released Unmanned Systems Policy,” the organisations said in the letter.The state’s Unmanned Systems Policy, which aims to promote the use, research and manufacturing of drones, robotics and autonomous vehicles, was launched last month. Leading drone manufacturers had earlier raised similar concerns, warning that Maharashtra’s drone manufacturing industry was also at risk of relocating because of delays in introducing the policy and its failure to adequately address the sector’s requirements.The drone training organisations said India’s drone industry, currently valued at around Rs 30,000 crore, provides more than five lakh direct and indirect jobs and is projected to grow to nearly Rs 1 lakh crore, generating around 10 lakh jobs by 2030. Maharashtra’s drone industry, they said, is worth over Rs 5,000 crore, supports about 80,000 jobs, and could expand to more than Rs 10,000 crore and create over 1.5 lakh jobs by 2030 with adequate government support.
