The ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (ICAR-IISWC), Dehradun and M/s Dronier Avigation Private Limited, Buxar, Bihar has signed a MoU today, 16th Aug. 2023 towards establishing an inter-organizational collaborative engagement and the Remote Pilot Training Organization (RPTO) as a joint venture at Research Farm, Selakui, Dehradun.

Dr M Madhu, Director, ICAR-IISWC signed the MoU document on behalf of the Institute in presence of all the scientists, the Head of Divisions, Dr Charan Singh, Dr RK Singh, Dr JMS Tomar, Dr and Dr Gopal Kumar and Dr P R Ojasvi, Senior-most Hydrologist of the Institute, Dr. M Muruganandam, Principal Scientist and OIC (PME and KM Unit), Sh PK Singh CFAO and HN Sharma, CAO and ICAR-IISWC Dehradun. Dr Radhe Shyam Singh from DRONIER AVIGATION PVT LTD signed the MOU from the Organization.

Dr Madhu informed that this is the first of its kind MoU and collaboration with the Public Private Partnership (PPP) towards building a professional capacity program at the Institute and in the Institutes of ICAR as a whole. He further said that this collaboration will help in meeting the much-needed trained work force for application of drones in agriculture and planning and execution of natural resources conservation.

Dr Ojasvi, the Chairman of the Drone Committee spoke on the potential of the drone pilot training in the country especially with the emphasis for agriculture use. He informed that this sort of drone pilot training facilities is very limited in the country, particularly in Uttarakhand, this would be first of its kind.

Dr Radhe Shyam Singh, Managing Director DRONIER AVIGATION PVT LTD expressed his willing support for the success of the RPTO. He was confident that the initiative will go a long way in supplying the trained manpower for the operation of the agriculture drones in the country.

Sh PK Singh and Sh HN Sharma spoke on the financial points referred in the MoU, the establishment of RPTO and drone pilots’ training Center at the Institute.

Dr Muruganandam informed that this MoU has been thoroughly deliberated over a year and finalized with the approval of the ICAR, New Delhi and the mutual concerns of both the parties for execution.

Dr Sanker, Sr Scientist and OIC Research Farm Selakui, IISWC Dehradun coordinated the execution of the MoU and presented the terms and conditions of the MoU before execution.

The Dronier Aviation Ltd will invest mainly on the drones and other technical inputs and the ICAR-IISWC will provide space and other related infrastructure facilities for the establishment and operation of the RPTO. Joining hands of a national institute on natural resource management, the ICAR-IISWC with the DRONIER AVIGATION PVT LTD is hoped to bring out useful and effective collaborations for the agriculture drones’ pilot training in the country.