India’s Drone Sector Growth: India has slowly built a strong and organised drone system by February 2026. According to the Press Information Bureau, the country now has more than 38,500 drones that are officially registered. There are also 39,890 remote pilots who are certified by the DGCA. On top of that, 244 training organisations have been approved to teach people how to fly drones.

The government said drones are now very important for India’s defence forces. They help in watching borders, collecting information, and hitting targets with better accuracy. The statement said, “During Operation SINDOOR, Indian drones and loitering munitions destroyed enemy targets safely and accurately. Drones work together with air defence systems, radar networks, and command centres to protect critical infrastructure and respond quickly to threats,” the Press Information Bureau statement said.

Drones are also being used in many government schemes. Under the SVAMITVA Scheme, drones have checked land in 3.28 lakh villages. Because of this, 2.76 crore property cards have been prepared in 1.82 lakh villages across 31 states.

The government has also given 1,094 drones to women self help groups. More than 500 of these were given under the Namo Drone Didi plan. The aim is to help women earn money and improve farming work. Drones are being used to spray crops and check fields which saves time and effort.

Apart from this, drones are being used in public services like land surveys, checking crops, watching over big projects, helping during disasters, and defence operations. Big schemes like SVAMITVA and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana are using drones to make work faster and more transparent.

The government has also made rules simpler to help this sector grow. The Drone Rules, 2021 and changes made in 2022 and 2023 have made things much easier. Earlier there were 25 forms to fill but now there are only five. Approvals have been reduced from 72 to just four. Fees have also been adjusted and are no longer linked to the size of the drone.