Amaravati, July 14 (IANS) The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday launched a portal to make drone services accessible to common man. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu launched the AP Drone Mart Portal , marking a significant push toward integrating advanced technology in key service sectors.
Developed by the AP Drone Corporation, the portal is designed to provide drone-based services across various sectors, including agriculture, infrastructure development, and disaster management.
Through this platform, farmers can use drones for pesticide spraying, crop monitoring, and other agricultural needs. The portal also supports services such as land surveys, site monitoring for large-scale projects, security surveillance, and mapping operations.
These services, once limited to specialised entities, are now available to individuals and organisations across all districts in Andhra Pradesh through the Drone Mart Portal, said an official release.
The platform connects users directly with certified drone service providers, enabling citizens and government departments to request services as needed. Users can negotiate pricing with service providers, ensuring flexibility and affordability.
The Chief Minister emphasised the importance of making drone services affordable to promote widespread use among the general public. He also directed that the portal be further developed to expand the range of services offered in the future.
Chandrababu Naidu reiterated that democratizing access to drone technology will help accelerate development across sectors and regions.
Chief Secretary K Vijayanand, IT Secretary Katanneni Bhaskar, and other senior officials were present at the launch event.
In November last year, the state government had unveiled its drone policy with the target of setting up at least 100 drone manufacturing units and attracting Rs 1,000 crore investment in the sector over next five years.
The policy is aimed at making Andhra Pradesh the global destination for drone technology.
State Drone Corporation was formed under this policy to promote utilisation of drones besides accelerating emergency and other services.
Employment for 40,000 people and training for 25,000 drone pilots are the other key targets of the policy. Investors are offered a 20 per cent subsidy.
–IANS
ms/pgh
