The permission was given to use drones within the visual line of sight (VLOS) range.
The validity period is one year or until further orders.
Earlier this month, the Indian Council of Medical Research (Icmr) also obtained a similar
permit to cooperate with IIT Kanpur to conduct a feasibility study of Covid-19 vaccine
delivery using drones.
Granting of these permissions aims to achieve the dual goals of faster vaccine delivery and better healthcare access through:
Ensure that basic medical care is provided at the doorstep of citizens
Restrict human exposure to COVID crowded or COVID-prone areas through air transportation
Ensure access to medical Services in the last mile, especially in remote areas
Possibility to integrate long-range drones into the midway of medical
Improve the medical supply chain, especially the third vaccine expected to be put into production and millions of doses will be shipped in India.