Drone Federation of India (DFI) chief Smit Shah has chastised opposition leader Rahul Gandhi for criticising India’s drone policy and using what appeared to be a Chinese-made drone to criticise the government.
Smit Shah slammed Rahul Gandhi for ‘belittling’ the drone industry, claiming that ‘no one understands drone technology in India.’
“When someone with significant responsibility (Gandhi) picks up a Chinese drone and disparages the entire industry, young people like me must speak up.” There are over 400 companies in our country, as well as 40 to 50 drone component companies, that are working hard to address all of these challenges,” Shah told ANI.
Smit Shah stated that it is ‘quite discouraging’ when someone like the Congress MP, whose ‘personality is followed by at least some section of society,’ picks up a Chinese drone and claims that ‘we don’t understand anything in India and none of these parts are made in India.’
Furthermore, the DFI boss stated that many Indian companies manufacture drones with 60-70% indigenous components.
Shah praised the government, saying, “In 2021, the government, with the support of industry and academia, actively took a stance that we no longer believe we are confused or that we are viewing drones through a lens of confusion. We clearly recognise that drones are an opportunity.”
He also claimed that India is the only country in which approximately 3 lakh villages have been mapped using drones to digitise land records.
What Rahul Gandhi said about drones
On Saturday, Rahul Gandhi posted a video on X, emphasising the importance of a strong industrial system and a ‘clear vision’ to propel the country forward. He also questioned the government’s understanding of modern technological advancements, particularly in the areas of drones and artificial intelligence.
In the video, he discussed how drones have’revolutionised’ warfare by combining batteries, motors, and optics, allowing for unprecedented battlefield manoeuvrability and communication.
Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ‘failed to grasp’ that drones are more than just ‘bottom-up innovations produced by a strong industrial system.’
