Centre's first drone pilot training programme announced at IGRUA
Amethi (UP):; The Centre-run flight training institute Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) here on Saturday announced its expansion plan to begin drone pilot training courses, a first of its kind initiative by a government body.
The premier aircraft pilot training institute in Uttar Pradesh had recently entered into an agreement with Delhi-based private firm Drone Destination for the collaborative effort.
Noting that drones are an absolutely new and emerging area with immeasurable potential and opportunities, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said the making of drones is becoming a reality in India .
We led the software revolution, and in the drone revolution also we have the potential of becoming number one. In that direction, we have taken a small step. The first thing is even drone operations require pilots and one of the first training centers for drones is being established in IGRUA, Kharola said.
The entire regulatory framework for drones has been put in place and very soon drones would be regulated, monitored, observed, and controlled just as is being done for aircraft, he added.
He also noted that in the coming years, the number of drones flying in the Indian skies may go into hundreds of thousands and their monitoring would be a challenge.
The challenge is that we have to ensure that not only we become leaders in drone manufacturing but also in their management, Kharola said.
He also mooted the idea for IGRUA, a government-run autonomous institute, to eventually move into drone manufacturing, design, and management besides imparting training for its pilots.
Kharola, who was joined by MOCA Joint Secretary Amber Dubey, was speaking at the 36th foundation day of IGRUA.
IGRUA Director Krishnendu Gupta said drone pilot training would begin shortly at the institute's campus located at Fursatganj in Amethi.
Under the collaborative initiative, IGRUA will provide its resources while the Drone Destination will chip in with its expertise in drones to train the aspirants, Gupta told PTI.
He said the course duration would be around two-weeks and added that the institute will soon also begin a programme on English Language Proficiency (ELP).
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England sticking with Key, McCullum and Stokes despite Ashes humbling
London (AP): England is not sacking anybody following the 4-1 Ashes loss in Australia.
A review of the tour by the England and Wales Cricket Board, announced within hours of the final match in January, was concluded on Monday. Firing people would “be the easy thing to do,” ECB chief executive Richard Gould said but he insisted, "This is not the time to throw everything out."
Managing director Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes kept their jobs after the best England side to go to Australia in 14 years lost the Ashes in 11 days with two games to spare.
“Moving people on can sometimes be the easy thing to do. That's not the route that we're going to take,” Gould said. “I've seen the driving ambition and determination that we're lucky enough to have within our leadership group to take the lessons from the Ashes and move forward.”
Gould previously was the chief executive of Bristol City soccer club and said the ECB would not follow the same route as soccer's hire-and-fire culture.
“Cricket is a very unique sport in that it takes a team of leadership ... it's not like football where there's a single point of failure or success with a manager," he said. He added the ECB would not “select or deselect management based on a popularity campaign.”
The main criticisms of England's tour were poor preparation, player misbehavior, and selection mistakes.
At a press conference at Lord's, Gould and Key said McCullum and Stokes have not had a “bust up,” they did not want McCullum to “completely change” but “to evolve,” the behavior of some players was “unprofessional,” there will be more consequences for underperforming, and a commitment to “better long-term planning” ahead of major test series.
Some changes were already implemented for the Twenty20 World Cup, where England reached the semifinals. Gould implied that performance saved McCullum.
Key acknowledged that England supporters would be disappointed to see the management team go unpunished.
“I know people want punishment and that people then should be sacked for that,” Key said. “That doesn't mean we don't feel like we've gone through some serious pain: Brendon, myself, Ben. It's been as tough a time as I think I've had.”
