Tamil Nadu aims to produce 2,500 drone pilots a year

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA), De Drone World Solutions aimed at producing 2,500 drone pilots a year.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between senior executives of Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) IGRUA, De Drone World Solutions in the presence of Chief Minister M K Stalin at an event here.

IGRUA, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, was inaugurated by the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in November 1985. It offers pilot training to various candidates of Border Security Force, Coast Guard, Indian Air Force and Navy among many others.

Following the signing of agreements, centres that would offer drone pilot training was inaugurated by Stalin in Madurai and Coimbatore, respectively during the 'Future is now-Towering Tamil Nadu' conclave here.

The move to set up the training centres in the state was in the backdrop of the utilisation of drones which was on the rise in various sectors including agriculture, law and order, surveillance among others.

''These training centres (in Madurai and Coimbatore) could produce about 2,500 drone pilots per year at the rate of about 200 pilots per month,'' an official release said.