Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) or drones as they are popularly called are a $1 billion opportunity for India by 2023 and the civil aviation ministry is likely to begin the registration process for drones soon, said Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion’s joint secretary Anil Aggarwal at an industry event in New Delhi.

He added that the the policy is going to be comprehensive while “we (India) must have the capabilities of designing and manufacturing so that the IP stays with us.”

“We need regulations for usage of drones in terms of altitude, endurance and categorisation,” he said.

Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog said drones have the potential to transform many sectors and modernise India rapidly. He said, "Drones are going to replace 80 percent of the operations presently carried out by the manned aircraft."

“Indian market for UAS will be $50 billion over the next 15 years. India must realise the full potential of this technology and leverage it as a powerful tool not only for the security and safety, good governance, increased productivity, but also to encourage consumer in commercial applications to develop a sophisticated UAS industry sector and make a new India by 2022,” he said.

Kant recommended that the UAS sector must aggregate the demand and push for make in India while the country should aspire to be a global hub for design, development and manufacture for all types of UAS.He said, "The regulatory framework for opening up UAS operations for civil and commercial services be promulgated early in line with the global best practices.”

Rahul Chaudhary, chair, FICCI Homeland Security Committee and former CEO, Tata Power SED said, “The Indian UAV market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 18%.”