The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given approval for the establishment of a Remote Pilot Training Organisation (RPTO) in the Drone Academy at Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University, Rajendra Nagar. This will help upgrade crop management skills among farmers in the State. The RPTO will provide agri-drone training to farmers, diploma holders, agri graduates, and unemployed rural youths with the assistance of Marut Dronetech Private Limited, Hyderabad. The approval will last for ten years.
The Drone Academy is currently being developed at the Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University (PJTSAU) Rajendra Nagar. It will be the first agriculture domain specific drone pilot training institute in the state. The academy aims to develop skilled human resources for the use of drones in agriculture and allied fields. It will also create employment opportunities through the establishment of Customer Hiring Centres (CHCs) by agri-graduates, FPOs, women self-help groups, and rural entrepreneurs.
PJTSAU has contributed to the development of crop-specific standard operating protocols (SOPs) for drone-based pesticide spraying in seven major crops of Telangana. This information was presented to the National Committee, Ministry of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. With this expertise, the DGCA has granted permission to ‘PJTSAU Drone Academy’ for the benefit of the farming community.
The academy will be located at the old SABM building, PJTSAU Campus, Rajendra Nagar, Hyderabad. The agri-drone pilot training course will cover topics such as drone pilot training, operational safety, risk assessment, DGCA rules and regulations, and crop-specific SOPs.
