The drones would be used as a mode of transport to deliver vaccines in Telangana under the initiative “Medicine From Sky,” started by the State government.
The trial project for the same would commence from Saturday as the project has received the final regulatory nod from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to conduct the operations.
The project has been spearheaded by the Emerging Technologies Wing of the ITE&C Department, in partnership with World Economic Forum, NITI Aayog, and HealthNet Global (Apollo Hospitals).
During the trial, delivery boxes weighing around two to three kilograms would take off from Vikarabad district hospital to primary healthcare centres.
In a tweet, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia wrote, “The liberalized #DroneRules2021 have already opened the floodgates of innovation! Visiting Vikarabad, Telangana to launch the pathbreaking “Medicine from the Sky Project” where drones will be used to transport vaccines to remote areas. #DroneRevolutionBegins”
Also Read: ICMR Seeks Bids For Vaccine Delivery Through Drones; Telangana Takes 'Medicines From Sky' Approach
He further wrote, “With applications across multiple sectors, the technology is set to transform India in no time! #DroneRevolutionBegins”.
The project was initiated in the year 2019 by the Telangana government and in June 2021 ICMR was given a provisional exemption by the Ministry of Civil Aviation for its study with IIT-Kanpur on the feasibility of BVLOS operations for vaccine deliveries.
The ‘Medicines from Sky’ scheme outlines the need to deliver things with the help of drones and how to estimate proposals. This structure has been adopted by Telangana state to implement drones for the last-mile delivery of essentials and is planning to combine them into the state’s healthcare supply chain.