The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has released regulations for the operation of civil drones in India. Here is a brief overview of what you need to know:

• Registration and Licensing: All drones must be registered with the DGCA, and operators must have a licence to fly them. Registrations can be done on the “Digital Sky platform” operated by the DGCA which provides a single-window online platform for drone registrations and approvals related to drone operations. Once the drone operation licence is issued, it is valid for 10 years.

• Operator Requirements: Operators must be over 18 years of age, have completed a training course from a DGCA-approved institution, and pass a written exam. 

• Restrictions on Use: Restrictions on where, when and how to operate drones, are mentioned below. 

• COLOR-CODED ZONES: For the convenience of drone operators, the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has deployed an airspace map on Digital Sky Platform. The map is colour coded into three zones, green, yellow and red.

While the green zones require no permission for flying drones, yellow zones are controlled airspace and require special permission to enter and the red zones are no-fly zones. Red zones include areas near airports, international borders, state secretariat complexes in state capitals, strategic locations and military installations. However, drones can still be flown in controlled airspace provided they fill a flight plan and obtain a unique Air Defense Clearance (ADC)/Flight Information Center (FIC) number.

• SPEED AND ELEVATION: Nano and micro drones are not allowed to fly over 50 ft above ground level and their maximum speed is restricted to 25 m/s. Other commercial drones on the other hand can fly up to 400 to 500 ft above ground level.

• NO PERMISSION NO TAKEOFF: Drone operators will have to request for permission, every time they want to operate their drone. This is done by a mobile app, which automatically grants or rejects permission accordingly.

• Drone pilots must maintain a direct visual line of sight at all times while flying.

If drone operators fail to follow the above mentioned rules, penalties as high as Rs1,00,000 can also be imposed on them. To fly a drone in India, it is mandatory to have a legal documentation which includes registration and licensing under Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).