Indian government allows ICMR to study Covid-19 vaccine delivery using drones

• The Indian government has permitted ICMR to conduct a study on using drones to deliver Covid-19 vaccines.
  
• The civil aviation ministry has granted “conditional exemption” from its stringent drone regulations to explore the possibility.
  
• Does it make sense to risk the vaccine in an attempt to deliver using drones?

Amid the rapidly rising cases of Covid-19 in the country, India’s civil aviation ministry, on Thursday, permitted the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to explore the possibility of delivering Covid-19 vaccines using drones. According to the ministry's press release, ICMR is said to conduct the feasibility study in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, which is one of India's top engineering colleges.

The ministry said it has granted "conditional exemption" from the recently released "Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021" to conduct a study on whether drones can be used to deliver the Covid-19 vaccine. The exemption will be valid for one year, or until further notice from the authority. The UAS Rules, 2021 were issued in March 2021, which stated that India’s drone infrastructure is not delivery-ready yet.

India is not a drone-friendly country, hence the exemption

The Indian drone industry has been critical of the regulations imposed by the government. Flying a drone in India requires lengthy approvals and has penalties up to ₹5,00,000 against defaulters. Not just that, flying a drone legally in India is not economically viable, the regulations and infrastructure are also far from being drone-friendly. A pilot needs to bear heavy expenses to get a licence, getting a drone that complies with the standards set by authority are also rare and expensive, and insurance is mandatory, which makes it even more expensive to become a registered drone pilot in India.

Invaluable vaccines flying in the air: too risky?

Delivering vaccines or medical support with drones is not a new idea. It has been talked about in the past that drones can be extremely helpful in remote locations where there's a lack of proper infrastructure, connectivity and drivable roads. The idea of delivering goods using drones, in general, is not limited to delivering food and packages. There are tons of advantages of drones that can save time, money, human labour and can be used for a great cause. It is being used for some great causes like tracking wildfires, agriculture management, wildlife conservation and more.

Some major disadvantages of drones include breach of privacy, the possibility of being hacked, inability to be operated in bad weather conditions and are also seen as a capable spying tool. So, the concerns are also quite genuine around the use of drones for delivery. Also, when the idea of delivering the Covid-19 vaccine comes in, one has to be extra cautious of any malfunction or damage that may cause the loss of medicine that no country in the world can afford to lose or waste.

Simply put, drones can easily reach places that many humans cannot, and this can be invaluable when timely rescues are critical. It remains to be seen whether the idea can turn into a reality where we see vaccines flying in the air. Although ICMR and IIT Kanpur are directed only to conduct a study, for now, some questions still remain -- how soon can it be done, what will be the logistical planning like, in what cases/conditions do the government plan to use it and most importantly, is it the risk worth taking?

We've reached out to experts in the field to find answers to these questions. We'll be updating the story with more inputs as soon as we get a response.

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