Aim to Make AP Drone Capital

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has called for efforts to make AP the “capital of drones.” Naidu reviewed the arrangements being made for the Amaravati Drone Summit with the investments and infrastructure secretary Suresh Kumar and Drone Corporation managing director Dinesh Kumar at the Secretariat here on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, he asked officials to ensure that a large number of youngsters and students form colleges and schools attend the exhibition at CK Convention.

Underlining the importance of data, the CM called for integration of drones, CC cameras, IOT and WhatsApp to monitor the issues on the ground, on a real-time basis and find solutions. He called for an estimation on how many drones could be used and the departments involved.

Naidu proposed the setting up of a committee with senior officials from various departments that could use drones to make a study on their usage. He also called for efforts to explore the opportunities to optimise the usage of drones as was the case with AI. The officials informed the CM that use of drones in agriculture operations would give wonderful results with regard to soil tests and for estimation of crop yield etc.

Meanwhile, speaking to the media at the Secretariat on Monday, Suresh Kumar said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will inaugurate the event at 10:30 am at the CK Convention in Mangalagiri, and the Union Minister of Civil Aviation K Rammohan Naidu, will also participate. He noted that the response from the public and enthusiasts has exceeded expectations, with 6,929 registrations showing eagerness to participate. There will be a total of nine sessions and four keynote addresses. He emphasised that the drone sector is developing rapidly, and efforts are being made to position the state as a leader in this field. There are immense opportunities to utilise drones across 20 to 24 sectors.

He mentioned that the state government will sign two memorandums of understanding as part of this summit. Agreements will be made with the Quality Council of India and IIT Tirupati. The MoU with the Quality Council of India will allow AP to issue Drone Remote Pilot License certificates. They aim to train 20,000 individuals as drone pilots in the state. An MoU is also being signed with IIT Tirupati as a knowledge partner. As part of the drone summit, a drone exhibition has been set up at the CK Convention Center, showcasing 50 exhibits. This exhibition will be open to the public, students, and enthusiasts starting from Tuesday afternoon.