Garuda Aerospace, one of the beneficiaries in the list of Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) for drones, has received the necessary approvals from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), making it the country’s 31st Remote Pilot Training Organisation (RPTO).

The company has been a pioneer in the industry, deploying Agri Kisan Drones across the country to help monitor and analyse the impact of youth training. Garuda Aerospace, which recently completed its USD 30 million Series A round at a valuation of USD 250 million, intends to train and skill one lakh youth across 755 districts in the proper use of drones for agricultural purposes, thereby further empowering India’s agri economy.

The Tamil Nadu-based company has received the first drone loan from Agri Infra Fund for Made in India Kisan Drones, which will assist farmers in purchasing drones. As of now, it has a fleet of 400 drones and a well-trained team of over 500 pilots spread across 26 cities. However, to keep up with the rising demand for agri drones, Garuda Aerospace aims to manufacture at least one lakh Kisan Drones by 2024, thus creating employment for Indian youth with an opportunity to earn an average income of about Rs 1 lakh a month.

Agnishwar Jayaprakash, CEO and founder of Garuda Aerospace, stated that the DGCA approval is empowering because it allows the company to further demonstrate its strength as the top drone tech expert in the country.

“We have always believed that India’s agri economy has tremendous potential that is yet to be unlocked. With this approval, we are certain that we will be able to utilise our skillset and help the sector grow significantly,” he noted. Furthermore, he said: “We are certain about creating new job opportunities as we begin training, educating and skilling Indian youth for diverse applications.”

It should be noted that the Agri Kisan Drone helps increase food crop productivity, reduce crop loss and farmers’ exposure to harmful chemicals while also being capable of arranging services such as a precision spray of pesticides and fertilisers, crop health monitoring, surveillance, industrial inspection, yield measurement, and crop loss mitigation, and is outfitted with sensors, cameras, as well as sprayers.

Here it should be noted that under the Svamitva Scheme, Garuda Aerospace has successfully mapped 7,000 villages in Uttar Pradesh. In September 2021, it was awarded the tender by the nodal agency, the Survey of India.

The company was authorised by the tender to deploy drones for large-scale mapping and digitisation of land records in rural areas.