The civil aviation ministry on Thursday issued draft drone rules to relax some of the existing norms.

Under the draft rules, no pilot licence will be required for small drones (that weigh up to 2 kg) used for non-commercial use. Also, security clearance will no longer be required before issuing any registration or a licence.

Further, the number of forms to be filled to operate drones in the country has been reduced to six in the draft rules compared with 25 forms mentioned in the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021, the aviation ministry’s statement said.

Among other measures, the draft said there would be no restriction on drone operations by foreign-owned companies registered in India. The import of drones and drone components will be regulated by the DGFT.

The fee for registration and approval has been reduced to nominal levels and de-linked from the size of the drone under the draft rules.

The Drone Rules, 2021, once notified, will supersede the UAS Rules, 2021, which came into force on March 12. The ministry has sought the response of citizens on the draft by August 5.

The draft comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of top ministers to discuss the formulation of a policy for the traffic management of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones.

The meeting was held in the aftermath of a drone attack on the Indian Air Force base in Jammu.