New Delhi: The first batch of 15 trained and certified drone pilots in India were rolled out on Friday by the Redbird flight training academy in the presence of a Civil Aviation Ministry official.
The certificates to the 15 drone pilots, who completed their five-day training course at the Baramati-based academy in Maharashtra, were given by ministry Joint Secretary Amber Dubey.
"You're the first batch (of trained drone pilots), so it's not only a moment of pride but also a moment of responsibility," Dubey said at the event. "A lot of responsibility lies on your shoulders because you, in turn, would be training a lot of other people (on operating drones),"
The official exhorted the pilots to always maintain quality standards. Otherwise, he added, it would negatively affect the entire drone industry.
"We will become the drone capital of the world. The government is sure and the industry is sure, and we all have to work together to make it happen," he said.
The five-day training course was conducted by Redbird on drone model P1, which has been manufactured by Mumbai-based company Rays Aviation. The P1 model weighs around 2.8 kg.
The course had three parts -- classroom training, simulator training, and real drone-flying experience.
Asked about the job prospects for the trained drone pilots, Redbird flight training academy vice president (training) Abhilasha Singh said the most common opportunities could be created in fields like public safety, journalism, filmmaking, construction, real estate, disaster management, and restaurant business.
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Bengaluru: Karnataka Rajya Muslim Sanghatanegala Okkoota spokesperson Suhail Ahmed Maroor on Saturday said the organisers had successfully overcome what he described as significant resistance to the ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’, despite a misinformation campaign in the last 24 hours claiming that the event had been cancelled.
Speaking at the convention organised by the Karnataka Rajya Muslim Sanghatanegala Okkoota at Town Hall in Bengaluru, Maroor began his introductory remarks by reading out the Preamble to the Constitution.
He said the federation had spent the past eight months consulting members of the Muslim community and gathering opinions, with the objective of working for the community’s interests and safeguarding its constitutional rights.
Maroor said the Muslim community has the capacity to gather lakhs of people for religious programmes, but when an attempt was made to mobilise even 1,000 people for a convention focused on political, educational and social issues, questions were raised about who was backing the event, who had funded it, and whether it was for or against any particular political party.
He said the organisers faced considerable pressure, resistance and challenges, and added that many others might have cancelled the programme under such circumstances.
“We are fighting for our rights. We are living in a time when our identity is under threat,” he said.
Referring to the hijab issue, Maroor said the federation had been demanding for the past three years that the government withdraw the order banning hijab. He noted that within three hours of the federation holding a press conference to announce the convention, the government withdrew the order.
He welcomed the government’s decision and expressed gratitude on behalf of the federation.
Maroor said the convention should not be viewed with suspicion simply because the Muslim community had chosen to organise a gathering to discuss its political, educational and social concerns.
He clarified that the programme was not intended as an event against the Congress party or the government, but was aimed at examining what promises the Congress had made to the Muslim community during elections, which of those promises had been fulfilled and which remained pending.
He said the report prepared by the federation analyses both the assurances made by the Congress government and the gaps in implementation.
Maroor added that, for the first time, workers who contribute significantly to the country’s economy were collectively seeking accountability for how their taxes and labour were being recognised.
“This is not being done on behalf of any individual or political party. We are undertaking a small effort on behalf of the community,” he said.
He said that after the convention, the organisers would make efforts to submit the report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, state ministers, the Congress high command and Rahul Gandhi.
Haris Siddiqui of the Karnataka Rajya Muslim Sanghatanegala Okkoota delivered the welcome address.
