Aviation Ministry permits ICMR to conduct study on drone usage for COVID vaccine delivery

Amid the exponential surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, the Civil Aviation Ministry on Thursday permitted the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to conduct a feasibility study on using drones to deliver the COVID-19 vaccines. As per the Ministry, the ICMR will conduct this study in collaboration with the (Indian Institute of Technology) IIT Kanpur. 

The Aviation Ministry in its release said that it has granted "conditional exemption" from the "Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules 2021" so that it can conduct a feasibility study on using drones to deliver COVID-19 vaccines. This exemption will be valid for a period of one year or until further orders, it noted

India's vaccination program

India began its COVID-19 vaccination drive on January 16, aiming to vaccinate 3 crore health care workers. Its second phase of vaccination kicked off on March 1, with PM Modi taking the first shot. The second phase was dedicated to those above 60 years of age and those above 45 years with co-morbidities. The third phase of vaccination began on April 1 for all above 45 years of age, which has now been liberalized to include all above 18 years of age. 

COVID-19 situation in India

As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, India so far has recorded over 1,59,30,965 positive cases, out of which 1,34,54,880 have recovered, while 1,84,657 have died. As per the latest reports from MoHFW, in the past 24 hours, 3,14,835 new cases, 1,78,841 fresh recoveries and 2,104 deaths have been reported. Currently, the total number of active cases, across the country is 22,91,428. 

(Image:Twitter-@ICMRDelhi, PTI, Unspalsh-Representative)