Sinha to head a 13 member Task Force for fast-tracking UAV technology

NEW DELHI: The government of India has decided to constitute a Task Force under the chairmanship of Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation for fast-tracking the roll-out of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology.nnThe Task Force will develop a roadmap with implementable recommendations for Central as well as State Governments, Industry and Research Institutions.nnThe Task Force will consist of representatives from the government, PSUs, industry and sectoral experts and submit report within 6 months of its constitution. The Headquarters of the Task Force will be at Ministry of Civil Aviation, New Delhi.nnThe composition of the Task Force would be as follows:nnJayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation – ChairmannRajiv Nayan Choubey, Secretary, Ministry of Civil AviationnRajiv Gauba, Secretary, Ministry of Home AffairsnSanjay Mitra, Secretary, Department of DefencenRamesh Abhishek, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & PromotionnLt Gen Satish Dua, Chief of Integrated Defence StaffnDr A.P. Maheshwari, Director General, Bureau of Police Research and DevelopmentnB.S. Bhullar, Director General, Directorate General of Civil AviationnDr. S Christopher, Chairman and Secretary, Defence Research & Development OrganisationnDr Girish Sahni, Director General and Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial ResearchnDr. Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman, Airports Authority of IndianA K Ghosh, HoD, Aerospace Engg. Dept., IIT KanpurnSatyendra Kumar Mishra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation ? Member SecretarynnThe following persons, as industry experts, will be co-opted as special invitees to the Task Force on need basis:nnGowtama M V, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Electricals Ltd.nPratyush Kumar, President, Boeing International Corporation India Pvt. Ltd.nUdayant Malhoutra, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Dynamatic Technologies Ltd.nT Suvarna Raju, Chairman & Managing Director and Director of Operations, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.nAnuj Kapuria, Director, Hi-Tech Robotic Systemz Ltd.nSuresh Senapaty, Chairman, Honeywell International (India) Pvt Ltd.nAnkit Mehta, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, IdeaForge Technology Pvt Ltd.nJyoti Bhasin, Joint Director, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.nPhil Shaw, Chief Executive India, Lockheed Martin India Pvt Ltd.nWalter Volkmann, President, Micro Aerial Projects LLC, USAnnVaibhav Gupta, Director, MKU Ltd.nCmde G Sharma, Country Head-India, Northrop Grumman Integrated SystemsnRanga Rao G.M., Chairman & Managing Director, RRG Engineering Technologies Pvt Ltd.nLars-Olof Lindgren, Chairman & Managing Director, SAAB India Technologies Pvt Ltd.nTarun Krishnakumar, Associate- Technology, Regulatory Affairs, and Public Policy, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.nSukaran Singh, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd.nArijit Ghosh, President & Managing Director, Textron India Pvt. Ltd.nYogendra Jahagirdar, Director, UCAL-JAP Systems Ltd.nRajsekhar Budhavarapu, Independent Consultant.nSharad Malik, Chair, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, New Jersey, United StatesnnThe Terms of Reference of the Task Force are as follows:-nnThe Task Force will focus, inter-alia, on research & development, acquisition & commercialisation, application & adoption in specific sectors, regulatory framework, preference for Make in India.nA roadmap with implementable recommendations for the Central Government, State Governments, Industry and Research Institutions including outcomes, timelines, implementation & review mechanism and measurable metrics will be prepared by the Task Force. The role of the industry will also be clearly delineated.nThe Task Force may study global practices and interact with relevant stakeholders, as required, for preparation of their report.nThe Task Force will have necessary consultations and interactions with Industry, Research Institutions and Government Organizations.