Aereo gets first set of incentives in drone-based PLI scheme

BENGALURU: Aereo (formerly Aarav Unmanned Systems) has received its first set of disbursements from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for drones and drone components.

MoCA has disbursed an amount of Rs 30 crore to 12 beneficiaries for the fiscal year FY 2022-2023, according to an official statement released on Thursday.

After receiving the incentive, Vipul Singh, Co-founder, CEO, Aereo, said, "The first PLI disbursement marks a milestone for indigenous drone technology in India. We are extremely thankful to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) for the timely release of this amount.

The PLI incentive will enable Aereo to expand its operations across and beyond the nation, and also accelerate indigenous R&D in the country. Along with PLI we also look forward to a Design Linked Incentive (DLI) in the next year that will further strengthen the booming drone industry."

The PLI scheme for drones and drone components was announced in September 2021. Following that, a total of 23 drone companies were provisionally shortlisted in July 2022 for the incentives under this scheme.

However, after due diligence by the government, only six drone manufacturers and as many drone component manufacturers received the first incentives from the aviation ministry in April 2023. Aereo is one of six drone manufacturers to receive the incentive.

Aereo was the first company to develop a DGCA-certified survey-grade PPK drone in India. It has mapped over 40,000 villages under the SVAMITVA scheme of GOI and close to 25,000 square kilometres in the state of Haryana under large scale mapping.