August 27 2021: The Indian Drone Rules have been finalized.  We carry a report with the full text of the Rules here.
Below, we share some industry, professional body and media comment.
Industry association
NASSCOM: We welcome the government’s decision to liberalize norms for operating Drones in the country for both commercial and non-commercial purposes under the new Drone Rules, 2021. This will not only usher new growth opportunities but will also enable Startups and SMEs to create innovative use cases and applications in various sectors like E-Commerce, Mining, Healthcare, Emergency response, logistics among others.
 It is also welcoming to see that the Government has addressed the key concerns of the industry. In the stakeholder consultation, NASSCOM had highlighted the need to reassess the No Permission No Take Off (NPNT) requirement. The rules notified today, provides for some flexibility in the implementation of NPNT and gives a minimum lead time of six-month for compliance, in case it is notified by the Government. Further, the rules abolish certain approvals, reduce the number of permissions required and has eased the zoning restrictions thereby improving Ease of Doing Business considerably.
The new rules will enable the industry to fully leverage technology to drive innovation in critical growth sectors. From precise interventions in farming over large areas to delivering medicines in far reaches of the country to delivering goods with zero human contact. Overall, the liberalized regime for civilian drones is progressive and should provide a strong fillip to the growth of the sector in India.
Industry opinion
Abhishek Malhotra, Managing Partner, TMT Law Practice:The new Rules have abolished the requirement of several approvals which were earlier required. There is no need to seek certificate of conformance, certificate of maintenance, import clearance, acceptance of existing drones, operator permit, authorization of R&D organization and student remote pilot license. The number of forms have been reduced from 25 to 5, which should enable growth in business, private participation.”
Swapnik Jakkampuddi, Co-Founder, Skye Air Mobility:   This was a revisit of the UAS Drone Rules 2021 which was released on 12th March 2021. For the Drone industry the  release is a significant boost towards commercial use for civilian applications.
The tremendous work by MoCA in understanding the Industry and releasing such a forward policy on drones will enable growth in the industry. The drone delivery service will get a booster dose as we in the industry are now confident that the government will empower development in this space.
Though, certain nations like USA, Australia, Japan, Ireland and Africa have already started use of drones to benefit civilian population.  However, with the release of the new rules we in India are poised to catch up in line with the vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. It is the belief of SKYE AIR to enable this vision in the near future. MoCA in understanding the Industry and releasing such a forward policy on drones will enable growth in the industry.
Media:
Explained: How India’s new drone rules have been liberalised | Explained News,The Indian Express
New rules make it easier and cheaper to operate drones (livemint.com)