Drones and India: Exploring Policy and Regulatory Challenges Posed by Civilian Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

India currently operates close to 50 drones in various military, reconnaissance and intelligence gathering configurations, a number more than that of France, Germany and Italy combined. Yet the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) does not yet have an official policy towards the civilian application or uses of drones. Nor does India have any enabling administrative and institutional framework for the different kinds of drones that have started appearing in the skies. Drones pose unique policy challenges that transcend conventional domains of national security, safety, consumer technology, aviation, privacy and business practices. Drones also fundamentally question our long-held notions of nationhood, sovereignty and geographical boundaries, as well as our frameworks of geopolitics and statecraft. This paper will first explore the rapidly emerging global landscape of drones to understand and analyse the various ways in which these autonomously and remotely piloted aerial vehicles are integrating themselves with various aspects of military and civilian domains. Second, the paper will outline the global policy implications of such a rapid proliferation. Finally, the paper will identify specific policy issues related to military and civilian drones that the Indian establishment must address in a comprehensive manner so that the future policy and regulatory environment becomes an enabling framework rather than a mere reactive system of ad-hoc decisions.