Civil Drone Authority (CDA) will be instrumental in promotion and domestic production of critical technology besides filing the existing vacuum owing to the non-availability of law to regulate the important sector.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-March 13rd, 2021) Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday approved establishment of Civil Drone Authority (CDA) for commercial, research, agricultural and other peaceful purposes.
The Prime Minister gave approval of the Civil Drone Authority while chairing a high-level meeting in Islamabad today.
“Authority will be instrumental in promotion and domestic production of critical technology besides filling the existing vacuum owing to the non-availability of law to regulate the important sector,” the PM was quoted as saying.
The PM said that it was need of the house to employ drone technology for commercial, research and development, agricultural and other peaceful purposes. Effective use of drone technology in various sectors will help in resource optimisation and better service delivery, he added.
He also directed for legislation for establishment of Civil Drone Authority after approval by the federal cabinet.
The federal government aims to device an institutionalized mechanism or the development and regulation of the drone sector in Pakistan.
The Civil Drone Authority will be responsible to regulate and control unmanned aircraft system in the country, as well as decide matters relating to licensing, import, manufacturing, examination and issuance of drone permits, Radio Pakistan reported.
Besides, it will also develop standards for manufacturing, operations, training and research and development. Besides, it will also provide technical guidance to the industrial sector to facilitate domestic manufacturing.
It will also be empowered to impose fines and penalties, including cancellation of license and registration besides initiation of legal proceedings against under the prevailing civil and criminal laws.
The authority headed by Secretary Aviation will be comprising senior-level representation from Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Defense Production, Interior and Ministry of Science and Technology.
There would also be representative each from of the federating units including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB) while three eminent experts of the field will also be members’ authority.
Taking to Twitter, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhary has also confirmed this development, sharing his views about the mandate of the authority.
