Prime Minister Narendra Modi has virtually inaugurated the drone manufacturing facilities of Garuda Aerospace at Manesar in Gurugram and in Chennai, said a top company official.
The Chennai-based Garuda Aerospace is a drone-as-a-service (DAAS) company.
According to Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder & CEO, Garuda Aerospace, Modi virtually inaugurated the drone manufacturing facilities in two locations and also pressed a button resulting in the taking off of 100 Kisan drones simultaneously in 100 villages.
The 100 drones commenced agriculture spraying operations in 16 different states to celebrate 75 years of Independence as part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', Jayaprakash added.
"Glad to have witnessed Kisan Drones in action at 100 places across the country. This is a commendable initiative by a vibrant start-up, @garuda_india. Innovative technology will empower our farmers and make agriculture more profitable," Modi tweeted.
Modi said the occasion will not just be a milestone for the drone sector but also open up a multitude of possibilities.
"I have been told that Garuda Aerospace has planned 1 lakh 'Made in India' drones in the next two years. This will give employment and opportunities to hundreds of youth," Modi said.
The Budget announcements this year had prioritised technology and innovation and mentioned the use of kisan drones among the varied sectors wherein drones can be used.
"Having liberalised the Drone Rules in 2021, the government has consistently been encouraging Aatmanirbhar Bharat with major policy decisions on Drone Shakthi and banning the import of foreign Drones," Modi added.
"We have reposed our faith in the young talent and brought in new suitable policies," the Prime Minister said and appreciated the youngsters taking risks in the new field even as he assured that the Centre will always back them.
Garuda has taken a space on lease for making its drones from Defsys Solutions in Gurugram, Jayaprakash said.
According to him, the Defsys Solutions' facility is equipped with advanced design and prototype testing capabilities.
The 2.5-acre facility is a hub for drone software design, hardware structural testing, type certification, and manufacturing capacity of 40 drones per day.
Garuda's proposed Chennai plant is located on a 20-acre facility where mass volume manufacturing capacity of 100 drones per day and manufacturing of 100,000 kisan drones are being planned over the next two years, Jayaprakash added.
The site is also the proposed RPTO (Remote Pilot Training) facility which aims to train aspiring drone pilots.
"Having our drone facilities launched by the Prime Minister fuels Garuda's vision to become India's first ever drone unicorn startup that manufactures six lakh drones and deploy one drone in each Indian village by 2025," Jayaprakash said.