IIT Guwahati establishes centre of excellence for drone technology

NEW DELHI: The Minister of State (MoS) Civil Aviation VK Singh launched drone based technology, Skill Development, Administrative Center and Drone port at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati.

AXOM Drone ports will be used to support cargo drones delivering urgent or medical and emergency or precious supplies to remote areas of the North East, a statement from IIT Guwahati said.

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IIT Guwahati's four initiatives - Center for Excellence in Research on Drone or UAV Technology and Artificial Intelligence; Skill development center for drone or UAV operation and maintenance, Nodal center for overall administrative drone data management for northeast region, and AXOM Drone ports will promote the development and adoption of drone technology in the North-Eastern Region.

IIT Guwahati and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) jointly organised the programme.

Singh said: “Drones offer tremendous benefits to almost all sectors of the economy. They can be significant creators of employment and economic growth due to their reach, versatility, and ease of use, especially in India's remote and inaccessible areas. It’s encouraging to see the IITs of our country take some timely initiatives in this direction. I pay my regards to the people who are driving the growth of drones in India.”

Welcoming the MoS, T G Sitharam, director, IIT Guwahati: “IIT Guwahati has taken the lead and made significant contribution in self-reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat) in several sectors and has been focusing on various technology based development projects for the benefit of the region. IIT Guwahati will share its research expertise, impart skill development, set-up a droneport and provide all administrative support and fulfil the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi realize the potential of India to be a global drone hub by 2030.”

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Highlighting FICCI’s initiatives, Dipankar Barua, chairman, FICCI said: “North-eastern region of the country is on a progressive track and welcomes use of drone technology for overall development and especially in areas like, Border Security, Agriculture, Health, Tourism, Mining and Infrastructure. FICCI has been closely working with MoCA throughout the process of policy transformation...We will continue to support government machinery and industry in all possible ways to make India a drone hub.”